Wednesday morning—day four

The bedside telephone woke Dax from a troubled sleep—a night filled with dreams of searing fire, hopeless battles, and armies of demon-driven gargoyles. He was still trying to associate the persistent clamor assaulting his ears with the images in his head when, mumbling incoherently, Eddy crawled across him.

Dreams evaporated like a fireshot demon in the welcome distraction of Eddy’s sleek, naked form gliding over his suddenly wakeful body. Still grumbling, she planted an elbow against his sternum and reached for the phone, but it stopped ringing before she could answer.

Groaning, Eddy flopped down, landing crosswise over his chest. Sunlight glowed around the edges of the blinds. He knew it was time to be up, but he felt no inclination to move, beyond the automatic sweep and stroke of his palm along Eddy’s spine. She wriggled closer and groaned, but now her sleepy sounds held a note of pleasure.

As did Dax’s. Somehow, all her warm parts had connected perfectly to his corresponding and now wide-awake parts.

“That feels so good,” she mumbled. “Please don’t stop.”

Her lips moved against his shoulder, and he grinned at the improbability of their position. Less than a week ago he’d been a spirit lost in the void. Before that, a scaled demon fighting to survive one more day within the hell of Abyss.

Now he was lying in a comfortable bed with a beautiful, naked female sprawled over him. This, he thought, is paradise.

What could the Edenites offer that he hadn’t already found here in bed with Eddy Marks? His body tightened as he imagined even more pleasure they could share. The physical side of love as his human body experienced it went beyond anything he’d ever known or even imagined throughout his long demonic life.

Though he couldn’t deny his demon side either. Hadn’t it added to Eddy’s pleasure?

A sharp rap on the door stopped his musings. Ed’s voice ended them entirely. “Eddy? You two awake in there? I need to talk to you.”

Eddy groaned. “Sorry,” she whispered. “Be right there, Dad.” She pushed up with both arms, kissed Dax much too quickly, and crawled off him and off the bed.

He watched her bend over and grab a robe from the floor. Covering that gorgeous body seemed somewhat sacrilegious, but he understood the human need for modesty.

She ran her fingers through her short, tousled hair and reached for the door. Dax covered himself with the blanket as Ed stepped into the room. He gave Eddy a quick hug and acknowledged Dax with a brief smile.

“Sweetie, that was Harlan calling. He actually groveled, something I never expected from that horse’s ass.” He chuckled. “He had the nerve to say you took being fired much too literally, and he wants to know when you’re going to get your story in for the afternoon paper. In his words, in light of the current ‘events’ in town, he doesn’t understand how you could possibly let him down like this.”

“Let him down?” Eddy snorted inelegantly. “He told me to get out and not come back.”

Ed merely shrugged, but he couldn’t seem to hide the grin on his face. “He claims it was a simple misunderstanding.”

“Simple, my ass. The man’s a jerk.” She glanced at Dax. “I’ve had a few other things on my mind besides Harlan.” Shrugging, she added, “Anyway, if we’re not successful in the next couple days, there’s not going to be a paper to write for or a town to write about.”

Dax shook his head. “Don’t even think that way. We’ll succeed, Eddy. We have to.”

She glanced his way. “Okay. But what can I write? Do you want me to actually do a story about the demon invasion? What can I say?”

Dax thought about it a moment. Things were coming to a head. Enough citizens had seen the demons’ avatars in motion now to be feeling real concern about either their community or their sanity. “Can you put some kind of spin on things, make it sound like unusual but explainable behavior?”

Before Eddy had a chance to answer him, Bumper raced through the door and jumped up on the bed, wriggling all over as if she hadn’t seen Dax in years. He grabbed her muzzle to avoid a thorough face washing, Bumper style. Willow buzzed by and landed on the headboard. When Dax finally got Bumper under control and glanced up, Alton stood in the doorway with both hands looped over the top of the frame.

Obviously, any private plans Dax might have had with Eddy were officially out of the question.

“Good morning.” Alton grinned, obviously well aware of Dax’s opinion of all the interruptions. “I heard what you said, Dax. I agree. If we can come up with a plausible explanation for things to run in the local newspaper, and if I cast a community-wide compulsion, we might be able to contain news of the invasion for a few more days, at least until we destroy the rest of the creatures.”

“Eddy?” Dax grinned at her and received an even warmer smile in return. “Can you do that?”

“Sure,” she said, with an exaggerated wave of her hands. “I can do anything. Just call me Lois Lane, ace reporter…as much as I hate doing anything for Harlan, after the way he fired me.”

Dax laughed. “I have to agree, but unfortunately, it’s not about Harlan, or any of us, right now.”

Eddy’s eyes seemed to bore into his for a long time. Then she quickly turned to her father and pressed both hands against his chest. “Go. Take Alton, Bumper, and Willow and let me get some clothes on. You guys think of an angle for the story, and I’ll get it written, but go. Now.”

The room seemed unusually quiet when they’d all left. Eddy closed the door behind them, and Dax threw the covers back. She turned and smiled at him. “You’re not going anywhere. They can wait for a few more minutes. For that matter, so can Harlan and the rest of the universe.”

He frowned, but she was coming toward him with a subtle exaggeration to the natural sway of her hips, slipping the robe over her shoulders to expose her perfect breasts.

Dax’s mouth was suddenly too dry to form words. His brain seemed to have gone entirely on hold. Thank goodness his body didn’t have any problem knowing how to react.

It really wasn’t all that much more than a few minutes. A very pleasurable few minutes. Until now, Dax had no idea just how much pleasure two people could find in such a very short time. Or, how powerful the act of love could be between two souls who truly cared for one another.

The glow returned to his tattoo. Once again, the pain was gone.

 

Eddy figured she probably should feel embarrassed walking into the kitchen at the tail end of another of her dad’s big breakfasts. Her cheeks were pink from Dax’s beard, her lips were swollen from his kisses, and her body still hummed with the power of their lovemaking, but she’d skip a meal any day to spend the time with Dax.

Nor was she at all embarrassed that both her father and Alton obviously knew what she and Dax had been doing, especially when she knew time with him was so short. She glanced down at their clasped hands. She couldn’t bring herself to meet Dax’s gaze, even though they’d both discovered an added benefit to sex.

The term afterglow had a whole new meaning.

The moment they’d both climaxed, a soft, golden glow had once again surrounded the cursed tattoo and contained the curse, as far as they could tell. For now, at least, Dax’s pain was gone.

As were half of his days on Earth. Already they were well into his fourth day, yet they were no closer to ending the demonic invasion than they’d been the day before.

Eddy was, however, way too close to being in love with him. In fact, she knew she was fooling herself not to admit she’d gone and fallen head over heels beyond lust with a man predestined to leave her much too soon.

Not something she wanted to think about when the fate of her entire community—crap, the whole world—was at stake.

Her dad stood by the sink, scraping leftovers into a bowl for Bumper. He glanced up as she and Dax stopped at the counter to pour themselves cups of coffee. “I saved pancakes, bacon, and eggs for you,” he said. “Just give me a minute.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll have to go on a diet if I eat many more of your meals.” She glanced away before Ed could respond and followed Dax to the kitchen table.

Alton joined them as Ed set plates in front of Eddy and Dax. “I’ve been watching the news out of Sacramento,” he said. “No mention yet of anything here, but we’re going to have to come up with something to satisfy the local population.”

“I wonder if Ginny could help?” Eddy set her fork down. “She’s a nine-one-one operator. I could at least check with her and see what kinds of calls she’s getting. If anyone would know what’s going on around here, what people are complaining about, it would be Ginny.”

Alton cleared his throat and glanced away. Eddy got the strangest feeling he was hiding something, but then he turned his open gaze on her and merely shrugged. “Whatever you think. You’re not going to tell her the truth, are you?”

Eddy thought about that a moment. “I wish I could, and if anyone can keep a secret, it would be Ginny Jones, but I think the fewer people who realize what’s really going on, the better. I’ll call her and see what she’s heard. She’ll tell me what she can, though obviously a lot of what she knows is private information that she can’t share.”

“Be sure and ask her how she is, will you?” Alton’s soft question brought Eddy up short.

“Will she remember the concrete bear coming after her?”

Ed interrupted. “Alton let her think she got caught up in a street fight. You’ll be able to tell by her answers how much she actually recalls.”

“Right.” Eddy stared at the plate she’d hardly touched. Food was the last thing on her mind. “I’ll find out what I can, but you guys need to work on an angle for a story.”

 

“If you think that will work, I’ll send it to Harlan.” Eddy glanced over the brief story she’d written about the current spate of vandalism taking place around the community of Evergreen. She’d blamed it on a suspected influx of gangs from the Central Valley.

Ginny was the one who had given her the idea, since it was what the local sheriff’s department was attributing all the broken statues and lawn decorations to: gangs moving into the area, trying to establish their own turf. There was just enough truth behind their suspicions to make the entire story plausible, and it meant Eddy didn’t have to write an outright lie. She was merely reporting what she’d been told.

There were problems, definitely, but not any that required military intervention. Dax was the one who’d explained that gangs today were inherently evil, and probably run by demons who’d made their way to Earth the old-fashioned way, by becoming human after spending time in the void. They weren’t, however, part of the current invasion. More the standard, run-of-the-mill bad guys as compared to demonic invasion by the truly malevolent.

“Well,” she said. “Will this work? It’s not much of a story.”

Dax stood up. “It sounds good to me. Alton? Ed? What do you guys think?”

“I think a little backup compulsion is all we’re going to need.” Alton stood beside Dax. “Why don’t you come with me? We can walk into town, check out the library, and see if the gargoyle is back on his perch. It’s a good, central location where I can cast a compulsion over the entire community. I’ll make them suspect that gangs are behind all the demonic activities. Eddy’s story will confirm their suspicions.”

Ed glanced up from Eddy’s computer. He’d been reading the screen over her shoulder. “How long can you make the compulsion last?”

Alton shrugged. “Three, maybe four days.” He looked at Dax. “I can make it last as long as Dax. He’s only got until midnight Saturday, if we’ve got the days properly figured. If we haven’t got the problem solved by then, we’ll need a new plan.”

Eddy caught Dax’s steady gaze. He wavered and danced before her eyes, but that’s what happened when you looked at a guy through eyes filled with tears. Damn. She wasn’t ready to think of him leaving. Not yet. Blinking rapidly, she turned back to the computer, finished her brief note to Harlan, and hit SEND. “It’s all done,” she said. “What next?”

“Alton and Dax shouldn’t be gone all that long.” Ed straightened up. “Why don’t you and I take a walk around the neighborhood, just see what people are saying?” He held out his hand.

Eddy took it. Dax leaned close and kissed her lips. It was obvious she was the only one he saw in the room. She couldn’t control the fact her body swayed toward his, that her heart pounded at the merest touch of his mouth to hers.

“Be careful,” he said. “We won’t be gone long.”

Alton grabbed Bumper’s leash and snapped it to her collar. “Do you mind if she comes with us? Willow hates to be away from her.”

Eddy laughed. The tall Lemurian with the curly pit bull watching him with pure adoration had no idea what a babe magnet Bumper was going to be. “You don’t think Bumper’s going to let you go without her, do you? Go, you fickle beast.”

Dax opened the door, and Alton went through first. As he closed it, Dax gave Eddy one last, lingering glance. Then he shut the door behind him.

Eddy stared at the door. They’d never been separated before. Not since she’d found him in the potting shed. This was the first time, and it felt horrible.

What was it going to be like when he was gone forever?

Her dad ruffled her hair, the way he’d done when she was little. “C’mon, sweetie. Let’s go check out the neighborhood.”

Nodding, Eddy finally tore her gaze away from the door.

 

They’d covered about three blocks without seeing anything out of order before Ed finally spoke. Eddy’d been waiting for “the talk.” Her father rarely criticized her, but she knew he was worried. There was no way to hide her feelings for Dax.

No way that she wanted to. She loved him. For however long he had left, and long after he was gone, she was still going to love him. Some things couldn’t be changed.

“It’s not going to be easy, no matter how this battle pans out.”

There was no point in pretending she didn’t understand what her dad was saying. “I know. It’s already hard.”

“Any way that you can back off how you’re feeling? Put some distance between the two of you?”

Eddy shook her head. They’d paused under a big ponderosa pine shading the sidewalk. Around them, the sounds of the neighborhood were as they’d always been: birds, the occasional barking dog, cars passing, lawn mowers going.

Eddy raised her head and stared into her father’s sad eyes. It was obvious he worried about her. Just as obvious he wasn’t going to try and change her mind. “Dad, if you’d known, before you and Mom got married, how young she’d be when she died, would you have called off the wedding?”

Smiling, Ed slowly shook his head. “Every day with your mother was worth the pain of losing her. Not only do I have you, I have the memories of our life together. But Eddy, we had years. You and Dax only have days. Knowing that…”

“Knowing that, Dad, I’d still do exactly what I’m doing now. I know it doesn’t make sense, but even knowing he’s not really human, I love him.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her close. She felt the kiss he planted on top of her head. “I know you do, sweetie. He’s a good man. Worth loving. I just hate thinking of what it will be like for you when he’s gone.”

She looked up at her father and thought of all the things he could have said, but hadn’t. Instead, just as always, he’d known exactly what she needed to hear. She laughed, well aware it sounded more like she’d choked off a sob. “It’s gonna be really shitty, Dad, but there’s not a thing I can do about it. Not a damned thing, except not waste a minute while he’s here.”

“As long as it works for you…”

She nodded, tucked her hand through his elbow, and started walking. Swallowed back the huge lump in her throat. “It’s going to have to work, isn’t it?”

“Yep.”

Arm in arm, they continued down the street.

 

Dax and Alton strolled north along the main street. Bumper trotted alongside with her head high and her tail curled over her back. Willow remained in Dax’s pocket, entirely out of sight.

They crossed the small park in front of the old library building. The gargoyle sat on its parapet, as innocent and innocuous as could be. The area was filled with the laughter of children—what appeared to be an entire group of preschoolers with a couple of harried-looking teachers. An elderly couple fed the pigeons, and half a dozen tourists walked by, obviously traveling together, pointing to their maps and speaking in a language Dax didn’t recognize.

Reluctantly, Dax and Alton continued on in search of a quieter spot. There were too many potential witnesses here for Alton to try a compulsion.

They finally found a quiet corner behind the library.

“Will this compulsion of yours affect Ed and Eddy at all?”

Alton shook his head. “No. They’re too immersed in the battle, too aware of what’s going on. Just give me a moment. I need to try and cover a much larger area than I’ve done before.”

He closed his eyes, raised his hands, and appeared as if he prayed. Almost five minutes later, he lowered his head and his hands and took a deep breath. “That should do it, at least for a few days.”

Dax nodded. “I have a favor to ask of you, my friend.”

Alton raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

“When I am gone, can you take any memories of me away from Eddy? I love her, and I will treasure my memories, knowing they are more than I ever deserved or expected. Eddy deserves more. I don’t want her to grieve when I’m gone. It’s not fair of me to leave her alone, but I have no choice.” He looked into the dark green eyes of the Lemurian, hoping that somehow, some way, he could convince him. “I don’t want to think of Eddy missing me.”

He glanced away, wondering. Was his a totally selfish request? Was he assuming too much? Maybe Eddy didn’t love him the way he loved her. Maybe she wouldn’t miss him at all, but if she felt anything at all the way…

“Is that fair to Eddy?” Alton rested his hand on Dax’s shoulder. “I think it should be up to Eddy whether she wants to remember you or not, don’t you?”

His shoulders slumped. He stared at the scuffed boots he wore, her father’s boots. “I don’t know, Alton. This is all so new to me. Emotions…love. Worrying about someone besides myself. Can I trust you to do what you think is best?”

“You honor me, Dax.” Alton spoke solemnly. Then he gave Dax’s shoulder a light squeeze and turned him loose. “That’s something I can promise.”

Dax tried not to think about the endless future without Eddy, but the days were speeding by, he hadn’t ended the demon threat, and eternity in the void was looking like the only option left to him. Eternity without Eddy.

He might as well be back in Abyss.

“Let’s go back by the library and check on the gargoyle. Can you use your powers to keep people from remembering me if I engage the demon in battle?”

“I can try.”

Only the elderly couple remained in the small park. They sat on a stone bench under a tree at the corner farthest from the building, feeding a flock of milling pigeons. The space in front of the library was empty.

Bumper growled. Blond curls rose all along her back. Dax put his palm on her head to calm her, and looked up into the malevolent eyes of the gargoyle. It glared down at him from its perch on the parapet. The expression on its stone face was one of haughty arrogance, a confidence born of past battles, the knowledge it had bested Dax on more than one occasion.

Dax felt a shiver race along his spine, an awareness that he was being studied as closely as he studied the demon. Would it try and fly away, even under the brilliant morning sun? He glanced around. No one seemed to notice him.

“Alton? Can you hide us?”

The Lemurian nodded. “I can muffle sound and make us appear vague and unnoticeable, though we won’t entirely disappear.” He stepped to one side, looped Bumper’s leash through his belt to hold the growling dog close, and spread his long arms wide. A transparent bubble of energy formed, enclosing the vacant library, the gargoyle, the dog, the sprite, and the two men.

All sound beyond ceased.

“I can hold this for but a few moments. No sound will escape, though determined outsiders can see through it. Work quickly, before I grow too weak to hold it.”

Willow zipped out of Dax’s pocket, and drew what energy she could from within the bubble. He felt the burst of strength racing from his head to his fingertips, raised his hands, and sent a blast of fireshot at the gargoyle.

The creature rose up on stubby legs, screaming its banshee wail. Wings unfolded. Its eyes glowed red, and it focused on Dax as swirling flames rolled off its stone chest.

Bumper tugged at her leash, snarling and growling and then frantically whining her frustration at the leash.

Dax drew more power, but now he threw an icy mist. Immense cold following extreme heat should crack the stone. All it seemed to do was piss off the demon. Dax focused more energy as Willow fed it to him. The creature stumbled and fell back upon the parapet. Dax hit it again, with flame this time, but his power was waning. Willow’s glow dimmed. The tattoo across his chest began to writhe and twist. He felt the cold slice of a forked tongue beneath his chin.

Willow’s light faded entirely. Dax’s fire sputtered and died. The gargoyle rose to its stubby feet once more, and while its stone head sagged as if the creature were weary and hurting, it was still intact, still strong enough to take its position on the parapet.

It spread its wings in a brief show of defiance, then folded them across its back and once again took on its original guise of an innocent gargoyle protecting the abandoned library.

Agony raced through Dax. The tattoo moved! The subtle rhythm of the snake’s body was impossible to ignore as it slowly writhed the length of his. He looked down in horror as the denim covering his thigh bulged and shifted over the squirming length of the snake.

Staring at the rise and fall of denim over his thigh, Dax reached deep inside for his demon. Nothing. Vaguely, through his own screaming desperation, Dax sensed Alton swaying beside him. He knew the instant the Lemurian fell. The surrounding bubble popped out of existence, and the sounds of the world returned. Bumper’s leash tore free of Alton’s belt, and she took off running. Dax pressed his hands to his chest. The snake’s head rose to meet him, but he wrapped his fingers around its powerful jaws and held them shut.

Again he called on his demon. This time he sensed contact, a surge of power. The muscles in his biceps, shoulders, and chest bulged as he and his demon forced the snake’s head back against human flesh. Burning agony shot along the tattoo’s length.

Black spots flickered in front of Dax’s eyes. He tightened his grip around the snapping jaws with both hands. The tail twitched and slithered over his thigh. The thick body undulated across his groin, over his belly.

He turned his face away from the flickering tongue and gasped. Willow lay on the freshly mowed grass, her light extinguished, her tiny wings spread wide—a tiny butterfly as still as death. Alton lay beside her, unconscious.

Dax couldn’t tell if the Lemurian breathed or not.

The pain grew. His strength faded. His demon retreated. Was it cowed by the gargoyle? He’d not thought it possible, hadn’t wanted to admit it could happen, but the tattoo was winning. Without Eddy’s strength to hold the creature at bay, there was no way for Dax to stop its cursed attack.

Blinded by pain, he raised his head and caught the gargoyle’s gaze. Weakened by the attack, the creature still clung to its resting place atop the library, glaring at Dax with undisguised malice. Dax returned its evil stare, even as his legs collapsed beneath him.

He fell to his knees, still gripping the snake’s head in both hands. The gargoyle’s red eyes boring into his were the last thing he saw before blackness overtook him.

 

Eddy and her dad walked briskly along the main street of town. They’d been through the neighborhood, and all had seemed perfectly normal. No demon activity to speak of, and no stench of sulfur. It had seemed like a perfectly normal morning, but Eddy’s sense of unease grew stronger with each step she took.

“Let’s go by the library. I’m worried about Dax.”

Ed nodded. “Me too. We should have given them a cell phone. I don’t like being out of contact like this.”

Eddy forced a smile. “I’m sure they’re fine. What can happen to a DemonSlayer, a Lemurian, and a will-o’-the-wisp, as long as they have Bumper?”

Ed laughed, but he picked up the pace.

Eddy recognized Bumper’s frantic barking before she saw the dog streaking toward them, leash flying in the air behind her. “Ohmygod! Bumper!” She raced toward the dog and managed to grab the trailing leash. “Where’s Dax?”

Bumper yipped once and tugged Eddy back up the road at a full run. Ed ran beside them. “She’s taking us to the library. Hurry!”

Eddy wasn’t about to waste breath talking. She unclipped Bumper’s leash and gave the dog her freedom. Bumper raced on ahead, but seemed to know not to let Eddy out of her sight. The three of them rounded the corner at almost the same time.

Dax and Alton were sprawled on the freshly mowed lawn. It wasn’t until Eddy fell to her knees beside Dax that she realized Willow lay on the ground as well. “Dad, check Alton and Willow.”

She ripped Dax’s shirt open, heedless of buttons flying everywhere. The snake reared up with glowing eyes and jaws spread wide. Without thinking, Eddy grabbed the creature by the throat and held it mere inches from her face.

The forked tongue lashed out, and she fought the power beneath the scales. Pain lanced her hands, raced up her arms as she absorbed Dax’s agony.

She’d finally realized how her touch worked. She pulled the pain into herself, controlled it somehow with her touch, but the agony she felt right now was merely a fraction of what Dax must be suffering.

She was vaguely aware of Alton sitting up beside her, of Willow’s wings beginning to flutter as Ed scooped the tiny will-o’-the-wisp up in his hands. Bumper had stopped barking. Now she merely paced around the small group, whimpering and growling as Eddy battled the snake.

It glared at her with a malevolence powered by pure evil, and it was all Eddy could do to hold the thing by the throat and keep it from striking at either Dax or herself. The flesh above Dax’s heart, where the snake had ripped itself free of Dax’s body, was a bloody open wound.

Determined not to lose, Eddy tightened both hands around the snake’s throat and forced it back against Dax’s chest. She hated the thought of hurting him, of pressing against his ragged and torn flesh, but there was no other way. Nothing she could do that wouldn’t cause him more pain. As long as he was unconscious, she could only hope that he wasn’t able to feel it.

The snake appeared to weaken. Dax’s jeans no longer rippled and bulged with the sluggish movements of the partially bound reptile. Within a few moments, the fabric flattened out to cover the natural curve of Dax’s muscular thighs and the flat contours of his belly and waist.

The snake seemed to lose a third dimension within Eddy’s grasp. She gently flattened the image once more in its position around Dax’s perfect, copper-colored nipple, pressed the snout into his flesh, positioned the gaping jaws over his heart.

Carefully, she smoothed the brilliant reds, greens, and blues of the tattoo over Dax’s sweat-soaked skin. Then she sat back on her heels and took a long, shuddering breath. Dax breathed slowly, evenly. His eyelids fluttered. He blinked, opened his eyes, and gave her an unfocused stare that lasted but a moment; then he closed his eyes again. She wrapped her hand around his and held on.

She heard a siren, the sound of brakes, the loud slam of a car door. She glanced over her shoulder as one of the local sheriff’s deputies walked across freshly mowed lawn and headed straight for them.

It was only then that she realized a small crowd had gathered. At least a dozen people stood to one side. How much had they seen? Frantically she looked at her father. He shrugged and shook his head, but she noticed that Willow was safely hidden in her dad’s pocket. Only the tip of her blond head was visible.

The deputy frowned when he saw Dax lying on the ground with his shirt ripped open. He reached for his radio.

Alton rose to his full height, towering over the man. “There’s no need,” he said, holding his fingers in front of the deputy. “Our friend occasionally has these spells. He’ll be fine.”

Dazed, the deputy nodded. Alton turned away and waved his hand in the direction of the curious onlookers. Slowly, shaking their heads and talking quietly among themselves, they dispersed. When Eddy glanced once more at the deputy, he was already walking back to his car.

She felt Dax’s fingers tighten around hers. When she looked at him, his eyes were open, though still a bit unfocused. “You’re here. How?”

She leaned over and kissed him. “Bumper came and got us.” She glanced up at the gargoyle and shuddered. “She knew you needed help. Are you okay?”

Dax slowly sat up. He shook his head. “I am now. How did you stop it? The thing was sentient. I felt its hatred. It was crawling off my body.”

“She grabbed it by the throat.” Ed held his hand out to Dax and helped him stand. He swayed, but stayed upright. “Held on to the damned thing with its tongue whipping around her wrist. I don’t know how much longer she…”

“Enough, Dad. I can do it as long as I have to.” Eddy stood up without help and pointed at the library. At the creature perched on the parapet. “What about that?”

Bumper growled. The gargoyle stared down on all of them, but its eyes were mere stone and there was no sense of life in the thing.

Dax stared at it for a long moment. “I don’t know. My powers aren’t enough. I’m thinking we need to let Alton take his turn with it. Maybe that sword of yours…”

“It’s too dangerous for you, and I can’t do it alone. Not until we’re able to communicate. Damn.” Alton swung away and stared off toward the mountain. Shasta loomed over the town, like a benevolent guardian. “I’m sorry, Dax. I don’t know what I need to do to bring it to life, but until we can communicate, I can’t use it anywhere near you.” He sighed. “I’m not enough of a warrior to take on the gargoyle myself and have any effect.” Looking at his hands in disgust, he added, “That’s probably why my sword isn’t talking.”

“Is there any way for you to check with Taron, find out if he’s had any luck with your people?” Eddy touched Alton’s wrist. He jerked his head up and caught her in his brilliant emerald gaze. She was shocked to see tears in his eyes.

“He will contact me if there’s news.” Sadly, he shook his head. “I am outcast, now. I can never go back, not unless my people decide that my actions were taken for the good of all.”

Dax swayed on his feet. Ed quickly slipped a hand beneath his elbow. “Let’s get you home,” he said. “Maybe something to eat will help restore your strength.”

Eddy slipped her arm around Dax’s waist, surprised by how much of his weight she actually supported. He was obviously much weaker than she’d realized.

It was just as obvious that he didn’t want the others to realize how much he suffered. Eddy flashed a bright smile at her father. “It amazes me how you stay so skinny,” she said, “considering how you solve every problem with food.”

Ed just grunted in response. Dax smiled, but there was no light in his deep brown eyes. Only the look of a man who knew he’d failed at his greatest challenge. Failed and put those he loved at risk.

Eddy gave her head a sharp, determined shake. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “And you’re wrong. You’re going to beat this thing. I know it.” She placed a hand over his heart, over the now quiescent tattoo. “I feel it, here. This thing is not stronger than the two of us together, and that’s how we’re going to fight this battle. Together.”

Dax stared at her for a long moment. Then he leaned close and kissed her. His lips were firm, his kiss filled with renewed confidence. “With you beside me, Eddy Marks, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish, is there?” He kissed her once more. He was smiling when he backed away, but this time she saw the matching glow in his eyes.

They turned and walked back toward Ed’s house, aware the malevolent stony stare of the gargoyle followed them until they turned the corner.