“Oh, yeah. I believe it. It kills with its teeth. The only reason I’m not dead is because it wanted me to take it to that red dollhouse I’m working on. He said it’s his only way to go home to somewhere called Embran—deep in the earth.”
“Uh-huh,” Gray said. “Why am I glad Nat Archer’s not here? He’d be trying to say we invented the damn dragon.”
“Look,” Marley said. “He’s…rotting.”
“He was already rotting when he was trying to use you like a witch’s broom.”
Marley found and held his hand tightly.
More and more rapidly, hide shriveled. What must have been internal organs dried up and crumbled. Within minutes all that remained was a heap of crusted tissue, and the teeth and talons and dust.
Except for the figure revealed by the destroyed form.
“What the hell do you think you’re up to, Fisher?”
Gray registered Nat’s voice behind him, but couldn’t look away from what he was seeing.
“It’s him,” Marley said, moving even closer to Gray.
“Bucky’s outside with two unconscious people,” Nat said.
“Detain them,” Gray told him. “And shut up. I sent you a message. You weren’t supposed to try to find me.”
“The latest recruit to your fan club is worried about you,” Nat said. “She sent me looking for you. These fans of yours are getting younger, pal.”
“Erin Dupuis,” Gray told Marley.
Staggering to his feet and reaching out to take up and use an ebony cane, Bolivar Fournier rose from the destroyed carcass of something Gray could only think of as a dragon. While they watched, the remains completely disappeared.
“My God,” Nat muttered.
Bolivar turned slowly toward them, his face serenely arranged. “I don’t recall inviting you in here,” he said, planting his cane with shaking hands and a resounding crack. “You can leave now.”
Marley pointed at the cane. “Remember the rubber piece from the warehouse,” she said. “It was from his cane.” The bottom of the stick was pale, pointed, and missing its protective cap.
“Nat,” Gray said. “You can take this one in, too—if he doesn’t die on you first. We’ve got witnesses to some of his crimes.”
Bolivar laughed. He focused on Marley. “Give Antoine my best, but make sure someone gets a message to Judas that the Embran will be back—eventually. Enjoy your little triumph—for as long as it lasts.”
Chapter 49
“Will this ever really be over?” Marley said. They had finally been allowed to leave Nat and his henchmen.
They had Gray’s Volvo and headed for Faubourg Marigny.
“In time,” Gray said. “But I think I’ve had it with Embran for one night.”
Marley grumbled to herself and finally said, “Yeah. Right.”
“Did you notice how Nat and company all avoided the big question?” Gray said. “How do you put nonhumans on trial?”
“Two of them are part human. Supposedly.” She had difficulty finding any humanity in Eric and Sidney. “What are they going to do when that comes out?”
“Not our problem,” Gray said.
Marley sighed. “For how long, I wonder? Bolivar said another like him would take his place. I wonder if Pascal knows who Judas is.”
“You don’t know?” Gray cleared his throat. “Judas was what they called him after he married the first one who came from Embran and the trouble started. His real name was Jude and he was the first dark-haired one. He’s the Mentor.”
Marley caught her breath. “You should have explained all this.”
“We haven’t had time for long chats,” he pointed out.
“No,” she muttered. “Where is he?”
“You’re asking me? Sykes talked about that book, too. But I don’t think I’m going to be the one to sort it all out, not that your Mentor is likely to come racing back now you Millets are okay. That’s my take, anyway. How many dark-haired Millets have there been?”
Marley’s throat dried out. “Sykes is the second one. That’s why he can’t take over as head of the family when the time comes. That’s why my parents are off looking for an answer to the curse.”
“One dark-haired man makes a mistake so it’s a curse forever?” Gray said.
“We can’t be sure. The Mentor broke the tradition and the bottom fell out. You can’t blame the family for being suspicious,” Marley said. “I’m going to be in the doghouse tomorrow. There are going to be more questions than I want to think about.”
“You told your family to go to bed. You told them you’re safe and you told them you need to recover before you talk to them about everything. They’ll understand.”
“No, they won’t. They don’t. But I can’t face them now.”
Marley looked at Gray. Streetlights highlighted the shadows in his face as they passed. Rain fell again and the windshield wipers squealed.
She turned toward him. “All I want is to be with you.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “That can be arranged.”
She felt afraid, deep inside. Excited, aroused, but uncertain enough to struggle with tumbling thoughts.
“What is it?” Gray said, glancing at her.
“What will you do now?” she asked. “If you don’t think you can finish the article you started, you could write about the case—like Gus suggested.”
“No, I couldn’t. I’d have to lie or no one would believe it. Anyway, I’m part of it all now and I’m not into personal exposés.”
I’m part of it all now, she thought, concentrating on the nuance of each word he’d said.
How could I be anything else?
Hearing him connect with her, she looked at him sharply. Can you hear what I’m thinking?
Yes. Weird, huh. I tried when I was looking for you. I thought I heard you call out for me.
I did, Gray.
“I want to kiss you,” she told him aloud. “And I want us to be completely honest with each other.”
He groaned. “Always the serious one. Can’t we just kiss and all that stuff?”
“All that stuff?”
She got another mind-destroying grin. “All of that stuff,” he repeated.
“What will Gus think about us going back to your place?”
“He’s in bed and Gus is happier than he’s been in years. He thinks you’re too good for me, but he’s crazy glad you came along.”
They arrived in front of the cottage and Gray pulled in to park at the side.
Marley made a move to open her door, but Gray reached across to stop her. His hand landed over hers on the handle, and they both sucked in a breath.
“Do you think it will ever go away?” he said. “This private energy field of ours?”
“I don’t know.”
Gray laughed. “I hope not.”
She sat still, looked straight ahead in the darkness.
Gray put a hand on the back of her neck and she shivered. “Where do we go from here?” he asked. “Bonded. That’s what we are, right? So what will that mean?”
Her heart beat harder. “It means there can never be anyone else for me. I have no choice.”
“Do you wish you did?”
She gave a short laugh. “It doesn’t work like that. What I feel for you now I will always feel. Of course, you are different. You do have a choice.”
He reached across her again and released her seat belt so he could pull her into his arms. “I have no choice, Marley. I don’t want one. That’s not what I meant. What does your family expect from us—or from me? Will they make it difficult for us? I know how much they mean to you.”
She really laughed this time. “The main reason they’re probably chomping right now is because they want to get their hands on us. A Bonding doesn’t happen very often and it’s exciting for everyone. A new chance for life.” She blushed scarlet in the darkness and hid her face.
“Mmm,” Gray said. “I can understand them thinking about that. First I get you all to myself, though. Can we go away somewhere? Get married and go somewhere?”
Married?
Yes. I want that. It’s what people like me do.