Chapter 23

Emma dropped me off at the cabin after school with a promise to return after her shift at the veterinary clinic. She warned that she might run a bit late due to an emergency outpatient visit to a local zoo, but she was obviously excited at the possibility. Emma may have ethical arguments against zoos, but that didn’t mean she’d miss a chance to work with rare and exotic animals. Calm, cool Emma was nearly squealing with enthusiasm.

In my rush to see Cal, and get in from the rain, I ran headlong into a wall of leather and chains. Not good. Pulling back I looked up, and up and up, into the scarred face of a giant. I couldn’t tell if he was grinning or snarling. The ropes of shiny scar tissue pulled his face in myriad directions, forming Picassoesque geometric shapes, and his eyes were shadowed by the brim of a leather hat.

His leather pants and jacket were getting wet and I remembered how much a leather skirt chafed when it got a teensy bit damp from dancing in a hot club. I made that mistake, once, and vowed never to do it again. This guy was standing there with rivers of rain water running down leather clothing from head to toe. That could not be comfortable.

He was standing beside a shining Harley, one hand resting possessively on the handlebars. Who rides a motorcycle in the rain, in October, in Maine? Maybe he thought it made him look cool, but I couldn’t help but wince. There was not enough salve in the world to help the chafing he was going to have later. The thought made me laugh out loud, laughing into the face of a giant.

“You must be one of Simon’s friends,” he said, offering his hand to shake.

“Yeah,” I said. Way to be eloquent Yuki.

“He always did run with some wild ones,” he said, winking. He swung one tree trunk leg over his bike and nodded. “Catchya later.” He revved the engine and was gone.

Did that just happen? Weird. Simon was standing in the cabin doorway as I trudged inside. He was grinning and clapping his hands.

“Very impressive,” Simon said.

“What?” I asked. I wasn’t in the mood for his games. I was soaking wet, freezing cold, and just wanted a cup of tea and some time with Cal.

“You just laughed in the face of one of the scariest black market couriers I know,” Simon said. “Impressive for a wisp of a girl who’s only a hundred pounds…soaking wet. I believe you gained his respect.”

Cal walked over from the kitchen, steaming mug in hand, scanning my face in concern.

“Great,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I now have the scary guy’s respect. Just what I always wanted. Whatever shall I ask Santa to bring me for Christmas?”

“It’s not something to take lightly,” Simon said, looking more serious. “You and Cal are a pair and he is our alpha. There will be times when others will make a play for power within the pack and the ability to look someone meaner and larger in the face and laugh may well save you from a fight.” Oh great, he was serious. “Plus, the respect of someone three times your size is never something to shrug off.”

“Okay thanks I guess, for the advice, but did you say he was a black market courier?” I asked.

“Yes love, I was getting to that,” Simon said, grinning. He held up a small black velvet case with a flourish. “Your amulet has arrived.”

My amulet.

Cal came to stand beside me, leaning his weight against the wall. “Hey,” he said. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, feeling breathless. I had missed him so much today knowing he was here and awake, yet out of my reach.

“So you stared down some scary dude and laughed in his face?” Cal asked.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling.

“I don’t know if I should be worried or salute you,” Cal said, smiling.

“I’ll settle for a hug,” I said.

“That I can do,” Cal said, reaching for me and pulling me close.

“Ahem,” Simon said, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “Hello. Amulet. Simon saving the day here. Don’t I get a hug?”

“No!” Cal and I said in unison. We both started giggling and even Simon laughed low in his throat.

“Well, can we at least do something to celebrate?” Simon asked. “We’ve been cooped up here for days.”

“Sure, what were you guys thinking?” I asked.

“Steak!” Cal and Simon said. They high fived and whooped. Ugh, boys.

“Okay, I guess we can go out for steak,” I said. “Emma’s working a long shift at the veterinary hospital so you both lucked out. There’s no way she’d go along with a trip to the steakhouse.” I looked back and forth from Cal, who was barely standing on his feet, to Simon. “So who’s driving?”

“That would be me,” Simon said, jingling Cal’s keys.

“You’re going to let him drive your truck?” I asked.

“It’s his first official job as my second in command,” Cal said, smiling.

“No way!” I exclaimed. “Really?”

“See kitten, we have much to celebrate,” Simon said, smiling smugly.

Cal put his arm around me and we all hurried, smiling, to the truck. The rain continued to fall in icy sheets, but I didn’t feel a single drop.

*****

We returned from our celebration dinner just as Emma drove down the cabin driveway. Simon and Cal retreated to comfy chairs where they rubbed their full bellies in werewolf bliss. I had skimmed the menu for any non-sneeze guard vegetarian food options and settled on the chocolate lover’s brownie topped with ice cream and hot fudge. It was that or the baked potato. I chose well.

Emma walked in a moment later, tossing her umbrella on the kitchen table. “Where did you guys go?” she asked.

“We went for a celebration dinner,” I said, feeling a little guilty. “To a steakhouse.”

“We ate steak,” Cal said. “Lots and lots of steak.”

“There was a veritable steak mountain,” Simon said, dreamily. “With rivers of blood and gravy.”

“Okay, glad I missed the gagfest,” Emma said. “Thanks to Simon’s lovely imagery I am now in need of some serious brain bleach. So why the celebration?”

“Simon is my new second in command,” Cal said, smiling.

“We were celebrating my promotion and the acquisition of this,” Simon said.

He held up the replica amulet he had received from the leather clad giant courier. The amulet shone as the light reflected off its gold surface. It was a perfect copy of the Gallows Amulet now sitting in a glass case in Salem. Nera’s amulet.

Now we just had to come up with a plan for getting inside the occult shop and swapping out the replica in Simon’s hand for the real thing. My stomach felt queasy and I suddenly regretted eating the entire chocolate lover’s dessert. I started to fidget and pick at my chipped nail polish, red flakes falling away like dried blood, until Cal slipped his warm hand into mine. He squeezed my hand reassuringly and I immediately felt better. We can do this. We just need a plan.

Emma raised an eyebrow at Simon, but turned to Cal. “You chose Simon as your second?” she asked.

“He’s proven himself and I need someone solid as my backup,” Cal said.

“I’ve proven my worth, doc,” Simon said, gloating. “What have you done today?”

“Talked to a room full of snakes,” Emma said, not missing a beat. “Funny, they weren’t quite as slippery as you.”

“Ouch,” Simon said, grasping his chest. “You wound me deeply.”

“Snakes?” I asked. “I thought you were making a run to the zoo.”

“I did,” Emma said. “It was the zoo at York’s Wild Kingdom and I took the opportunity to visit their reptile house.”

“Why?” I asked.

Emma had seemed shaken after her past encounters with talking snakes, but she sought them out on purpose this time. Maybe her work with Simon had helped her gain a sense of control over the whole spirit animal thing.

“We have a crazy B&E mission coming up and a spirit storm on its way,” Emma said. “I thought it would be good to get some inside information. When I heard we’d be working at the zoo I knew it was my chance to find out what the snakes had to say.”

“Did they have any advice?” Cal asked.

“Kind of,” Emma said. “Problem is these spirit guides seem really fond of riddles.”

I groaned from my perch on the arm of Cal’s chair. “Tell me about it,” I said.

“Let’s hear it,” Simon said. “Perhaps our combined intellect can unravel this great mystery.” Leave it to Simon to actually like riddles.

Emma’s voice shifted low and sibilant as she recited:

You seek the Gallows Amulet

Once torn from Nera's hand

Your friend must acquire it

before the spirits haunt the land

Go to the village of witches

enter Cauldron and Noose

access the amulet

before the spirits are let loose

If you wish to save your good friend

go with her to this store

protect her from harm’s way

recite this warding at the door

Slither silently and softly

moving small and unseen

curious eyes slide past

minds left untroubled and serene

You seek the Gallows Amulet

Once torn from Nera's hand

Your friend must acquire it

before the spirits haunt the land

“That’s all they would say,” Emma said, her normal voice returning. “I just wish they would have elaborated a bit. I’d feel better knowing that warding was good to go, but for all I know there’s a ritual involved.”

“We could do an Internet search on the words they said to recite,” I said. “Maybe it’s an old warding spell. If so, then someone has probably posted it.”

“Seems rather straightforward,” Simon said, yawning.

“Sorry to bore you,” Emma said, rolling her eyes.

“I have a belly full of meat at the end of a productive day,” Simon said. He closed his eyes and was immediately asleep.

“I want what he’s having,” Cal said, sleepily.

“As your doctor, I highly recommend it,” Emma said. “Yuki, I’ll meet you outside.”

The door closed behind her with a thump and I leaned in to pull Cal up and out of the chair.

“Okay time for bed,” I said. “I’ll give you a kiss if you go willingly. That chair can’t possibly be comfortable enough to sleep in all night.”

“Mmm, comfy,” Cal said. “Sleep here.”

“Then no goodnight kiss,” I said, slyly.

“You drive a hard bargain,” Cal said, smiling.

I wasn’t strong enough to lift him up, but the promise of a goodnight kiss gave him the extra motivation. Cal stumbled up out of the chair to the bed and crawled under the nest of covers. I bent down and kissed him on the forehead, his eyes already closed.

“Not fair,” Cal mumbled.

Smiling wider I teasingly kissed his cheek, nose, and jaw line then let our lips meet in a slow tender kiss.

“Goodnight Cal,” I whispered. I love you.