Cold Burn of Magic(85)

I leaned down and scooped up the ring. Despite the blood in the water, the sapphire star and the silver band gleamed, as though they had just been cleaned. I slid the ring onto my finger, where it belonged, then looked up. That tentacle was still undulating in the air, almost like it was waving at me.

I hesitated, then waved back, even though I had no idea if the lochness could actually see me. “Um . . . thanks.”

The tentacle slid down and disappeared below the water’s surface. A moment later, a loud sound blasted out from beneath the bridge, almost like a foghorn.

Urp.

“Was that . . . a burp?” Devon whispered.

“Do you really want to know?”

He shook his head.

“Yeah. Me neither.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT


I couldn’t walk, but Devon wouldn’t leave me, so we sat on the lochness bridge. It was safer than hobbling through the streets. Despite the blood that covered us, no monsters appeared to make us their midnight snack. We seemed to be under the lochness’s protection, at least for this night.

So I pulled out my phone and called Mo, telling him where we were. Ten minutes later, several black SUVs pulled up to the end of the bridge and stopped. Claudia, Felix, Reginald, Angelo, and several guards poured out of the cars and hurried over to us, along with another familiar face.

Mo dropped to a knee in front of me. “You don’t look so good, kid.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

He grinned and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder.

Felix crouched down in front of me and Devon. He shook his head, then smiled. “I can’t leave you guys alone for a second, can I?”

“Next time, I will be happy to let you battle the crazy guy and his goons,” I said.

“What happened?” Claudia demanded in a sharp voice. “Where’s Grant?”

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “Sleeping with the fishes—permanently.”

Claudia stared at the bridge, obviously confused. But then her lips puckered into a silent oh. Everyone else stopped talking, and more than a few peered over the side of the bridge, their hands on their swords, looking for the lochness. I knew they wouldn’t see the monster.

Finally, Angelo cleared his throat. “I hate to point out the obvious, but Lila and Devon need medical attention. We need to get them into the vehicles now.”

Mo looked at me. “Is that okay with you, kid? Because I would say that you have more than fulfilled your contract with the Sinclair Family.”

Claudia stiffened at his words, but she couldn’t deny them.

I looked around at everyone gathered on the bridge. Claudia, Reginald, Angelo, Felix, Mo, and finally Devon, who was staring at me with a mixture of hope and wariness in his eyes. And something else that I didn’t want to think too much about right now.

“Yeah, take me back to the mansion,” I said. “Take me home.”





The rest of the night was a blur. Mo scooped me up into his arms and loaded me into one of the SUVs. Devon and Felix insisted on riding with me, with Mo in the front and Reginald driving. Mo kept up a steady stream of chatter the entire ride back to the mansion. Even Felix couldn’t get a word in, for a change.

Back at the mansion, Mo carried me up to the infirmary, where Angelo and Felix poured stitch-sting over my wounds. Devon was in another room, getting his throat and other injuries looked at, and Angelo and Felix went back and forth between us. I asked about Devon, but Felix said that he was fine and not to worry.

Once I was healed, I took a shower and put on the pajamas that Felix brought me. Mo helped me back to my room, and I collapsed into bed.

The sun streaming in through the windows woke me the next morning. Thinking of Tiny and his beloved sunspots, I dozed for a while longer, but eventually, it got too bright and warm to sleep. So I threw back the covers, sat up, swung my legs over the side of the bed, and groaned, as a hundred small aches and pains flared to life in my body. All of my stab wounds were healed, but cuts and scrapes still dotted my hands and arms, not to mention my sore feet and the pulled muscles in my legs from running around barefoot for so long and so hard—

A faint zip-zip-zipping sounded, and something blurred across the room before stopping right in front of my face.

“Finally!” Oscar snapped, his arms crossed over his chest, his wings twitching in indignation. “I was wondering whether or not you were ever going to wake up.”

I winced. “Do you have to shout? I was in a fight last night, in case you haven’t heard.”

“Oh, I heard all right. The whole mansion has heard. It’s all anyone can talk about. Grant and what he did, and you and what you did.”

“So everyone’s gossiping about me,” I muttered. “Terrific.”

He shrugged. “It goes with the territory, cupcake. Now, come on. We need to get you dressed. Claudia wants to see you.”

“Why?”

“I have no idea, but you are not going to keep her waiting. So, come on. Rise and shine.”

I groaned again, but Oscar darted around me like an annoying bee, poking and prodding me until I finally got up. I stumbled into the bathroom and took a hot shower, trying to work some of the kinks out of my body.

When I finished, I shrugged into a thick white robe and stepped into the bedroom. Oscar had already made the bed, and another black pantsuit lay on top of the comforter.