The Black Masquerade Page 10

  “Give me the address. I’ll get there soon as I can.”

  “Sending you a text now. Thank you.”

  Abel had pulled over. “Should I turn around?”

  I shook my head. “Continue to my house. I have to take my own car.”

  Abel gave me a confused expression. “Why?”

  “Because if I don’t, it looks suspicious. I’m usually sleeping at this time. Actually, I’m always sleeping at this time. It’s three in the morning, Abel.”

  “That’s true.”

  We weren’t far from my house—only a couple of blocks—and it didn’t take long for me to switch cars and return to the storage unit. Tony was waiting for me at the gate. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hands shook. The poor man. It was too much excitement for one person.

  A cop named Simpson was also waiting. He explained the situation as we walked.

  “We’re not sure what happened to them, but there’s a ton of unconscious people, and one bomb that hasn’t gone off yet. We’re worried that if it does, it’ll probably have a gas in it that would knock us all out.”

  Actually, the amount of gas Abel had used would kill anyone who wasn’t a hound—he’d wanted to make sure the dogs would stay unconscious for a long time. “Better safe than sorry.”

  “Exactly.”

  When we arrived at the unit, I was surprised at just how many hounds were in it. Abel and I hadn’t been using a light, and most of the hounds’ lights had broken when the bombs went off. But with the huge floodlights the cops had set up, I could see just how big a mess I was in. Bodies were crumpled all around the unit, folding over chairs and each other. I’d barely made a dent.

  I stood next to the bomb, keeping a mental hold on the igniter in it, and Simpson and I watched as several ambulances pulled up. Paramedics began carting the unconscious people out of the unit.

  “Where are they being taken?” I asked.

  Simpson shrugged. “Whichever hospitals have room.”

  I nodded. There were a lot more “victims” here than usual for the area. Especially since they were potential criminals and would need to be treated accordingly.

  Where was Chief? I looked around. Probably not there—he didn’t need to be at every single incident. I had to talk to him, though. See if he could get me into the hospitals so I could continue snuffing fires before the hounds woke up.

  I’ve had a little bit of experience deactivating bombs by hand, though it wasn’t my specialty. While waiting for Lehi’s own bomb specialist to arrive, I started to work on that fifth one. It wasn’t hard to act like I didn’t know how it had been put together—because I didn’t. I hadn’t been there when Abel created it. Soon, though, it was completely dismantled and no longer a threat.

  I held out the little canister of gas. “You’re right, Simpson. Still has the gas in it. You should probably handle this carefully.”

  Simpson put on a pair of gloves and took it from me. “Thanks, Ashton.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Hopefully, Abel had worn his own gloves when constructing the bombs. If not, his fingerprints would be all over the thing.

  No longer needed to keep bombs from exploding, I turned to leave, but something about the man they were just bringing out drew my attention. I stepped closer and gasped.

  One of the paramedics glanced at me. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Oh, my gosh! I went on a date with this man last night!”

  Chapter 22

  I almost passed out. A woozy feeling made my ears buzz and my legs go weak. I had to sit on the ground and put my head between my knees. “Oh, crap, oh, crap, oh, crap,” I muttered.

  “What do you know about him?” Simpson said, joining me. He pulled out a notepad and pen.

  I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. “Not a lot,” I said. “Last night was our first date. He works for a tech company here. Said he’s from Texas.” I definitely had my doubts about that. “He’s planning on going to the governor’s masquerade this weekend.”

  “The owner of the facility here said something about the ball. He seems to think these guys had been planning on exploding things there.”

  I nodded. “I was the one who told Tony about the masquerade—my partner and I were here investigating potential threats to the ball. Looks like my hunch was right.”

  Only it wasn’t a hunch. It was a cover story. But they wouldn’t know that. I still couldn’t believe the man I’d been on a date with several hours earlier was a hound. It made me sick, thinking about being that close to him for so long. Why had he asked me out? Why hadn’t I known he was a hound, and why hadn’t he killed me?

  Half groaning, half whimpering, I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. We’d played laser tag, for crying out loud. He’d had so many opportunities to destroy me. So why hadn’t he? Was he trying to scope out the enemy? Figure out my faults and weaknesses? Or did he just enjoy playing with his food before devouring it?

  Breathe, Lizzie. My thoughts weren’t making it easier not to pass out.

  As soon as the officers had finished up and the paramedics were taking the unconscious hounds away, I gave Chief a call.

  I quickly explained to him what happened, finishing up with, “I’m going to need access to them in the hospitals.”

  “How can you be sure they’re actually hounds and not just regular men?”

  “The amulet tells me.”

  “Okay. You’re going to need someone with enough authority there. Just in case.”

  I agreed, though I knew the hospital would probably be okay with any police officer. “It has to happen now—before they wake up. Where do you want to meet?”

  “Mountain Point Hospital. See you in a few minutes.”

  I headed over to the hospital and waited outside until he pulled up in his unmarked car. The two of us entered, and Chief asked at the ER desk about the people who’d been brought in. He showed his badge, and the desk attendant told him where to go.

  It didn’t surprise me that ten hounds had been brought there. They’d had more space than most other hospitals. Mountain Point was a relatively new hospital, and they were still getting the word out about their facility.

  Chief glanced at me as we walked to the door where the first hound was being kept. “How do you expect to handle this?” he asked. “It’s not exactly legal for you to kill someone in a hospital.”

  It wasn’t exactly legal for me to kill someone at all, but I didn’t bring that up. “I was hoping you’d have a genius idea,” I whispered. “Seeing as how you’re chief of police.”

  “I don’t. Other than to go really fast.”

  I smiled. We stepped into the first room. A man with long, scraggly hair and an unkempt beard had been chained to the hospital bed. His eyes were shut, his monitors showing his stats as normal. I approached, reaching out magically for the fire at the base of the sternum.

  Hello? I asked the amulet when nothing happened. It didn’t respond, and I glanced back at Chief. “I think the amulet has to recharge,” I whispered. “We might not get as much done here as I’d like to.”

  “Just do your best. I’ll stand guard.” He positioned himself just inside the doorway, where the two cops who were milling around would easily notice him.

  I had to get on top of the hound before the amulet finally responded.

  Kill?

  Yes, I thought with relief. Finally. I reached out with my magic and extinguished the fire. The man slumped against the mattress, a long sigh leaving his lungs.

  The monitors attached to him began beeping, and I stepped back quickly. Nurses rushed into the room and started going through the lifesaving motions I knew wouldn’t work this time.

  I’d hoped to sneak out and get to the next hound, but with so many nurses around, that wasn’t going to be possible.

  When it was evident they wouldn’t be able to bring the man back to life, one of the nurses turned to Chief. “What happened?”

  Chief mo
tioned to me, barely hiding his panic. Come on, Chief, you can act better than that.

  I shrugged. “He stopped breathing and sort of slumped in the bed.”

  Chief nodded. “We were hoping he’d wake up for questioning.”

  The nurse glanced back at the man. “Well, you’re not going to be questioning him anytime soon.” She turned to Chief. “Sorry, hun.”

  Chief thanked her, and we left, walking down the hallway and into a little break room where we could talk in private.

  “We won’t be able to do that again,” he whispered.

  I shook my head. “Too many people on staff and cops wandering the place. If I have to wait for the amulet to charge, we’re not likely to get much done anyway.”

  If more people died while Chief and I were present, we’d definitely put ourselves in the suspect category. I shook my head. Such a fantastic opportunity going to waste. There wasn’t anything I could do about it, though, and I was exhausted.

  “Guess we just head home and get some sleep,” I said.

  He glanced at his watch. “Well, that’s something you’ll be able to do. I’ve got a meeting with the mayor.”

  I grimaced. “Sorry about that. Let me know if anything comes up. I’ll keep my phone on so I’ll hear if you call.”

  Chief thanked me, and we walked out of the hospital and got in our separate cars.

  Chapter 23

  I drove home as carefully as I could. I wasn’t kidding about being absolutely exhausted. The last several days had been really difficult, but the night before and this morning really put me over the edge. I just couldn’t believe Justin was a hound. Who was he? I really had recognized him from high school. Did Nicole know about him? It was possible she didn’t, if he’d never revealed himself to her.

  It was almost six in the morning when I finally made it to bed. I didn’t let myself sleep very long—only a few hours. If something happened, I wanted to be awake for it.

  And something did happen. I got a call from Eleanora, the previous Fire Impeder. She wanted me to talk with her. This was the first time in over a year she’d reached out to me. What was going on?

  After promising her I’d be there in about an hour, knowing I would need that long to fully wake up and get my brain functioning, I took a long shower, got—and received—loves from Sia, and then I headed to Eleanora’s house. On the way, I gave Nicole a call.

  “Did you know a man we went to high school with was a hound?” I asked.

  “Yes. Conor. My ex.”

  She gave me a rundown on what he looked like. It was him.

  “Why didn’t you warn me?”

  She sighed into the phone. “Honestly, I had so many memories pouring into me, I struggled with sorting them out. And I didn’t think it mattered—now that you’ve got the amulet, you’ll know who is dangerous and who isn’t. I figured you wouldn’t remember him, and that it wouldn’t matter if you did.”

  I gripped my steering wheel as something occurred to me. “He must’ve made my tire go flat. How else would we have ended up in the same tire place at the same time?”

  “Wait a second. What’s going on?”

  I told her about the flat and meeting Justin—Conor—at the tire store, then filled her in on my date with him. “He was so incredibly charming and nice, but without me suspecting anything. And seriously—I’ve got a radar for insensitive men. I can usually tell when they have ulterior motives. But I totally missed this one.” I hated that the amulet hadn’t worked. Was it really wearing out that much?

  “Conor is an excellent actor. Can’t deny that one.”

  “How old would you say he is?” I asked. “A hundred thousand years? Ick. I can’t believe I went on a date with a man that old.”

  “Yeah, but did you kiss him? We actually made out.”

  “That’s disgusting, Nicole.”

  Nicole laughed. “Tell me about it. Where is he now?”

  I filled her in on how Abel and I had knocked them out and killed at least ten before the authorities arrived and carted the leftovers off to various hospitals across the county.

  Nicole groaned. “He’s not in the hospital anymore. I’m assuming you haven’t been able to catch the news yet, but it was big enough to reach us all the way up here. Apparently, several hospitals all over Utah and Salt Lake Counties were overrun by wild dogs. And multiple patients disappeared randomly.”

  “Great.”

  “No kidding. Well, they’ve got cops on the case. They aren’t sure how to find the criminals. Most of them had been checked into the hospital without names.”

  I wondered why Chief hadn’t said anything. He’d probably had his hands full and wanted to give me more time to sleep.

  “So, what happens now?” I asked. “I mean, the effigy’s not turned on anymore—I’ve returned it—and its effects have worn off. The hounds know who I am and where I am.”

  Nicole made a worried sound. “Has Alexander talked to you lately?”

  I grumbled. “No, and trying to get hold of him is impossible.” I still wasn’t positive I hadn’t killed him. I needed to find out. But how?

  “I know. It drives me nuts. Well, from what I understand, the stronger ones will seek you out and the weaker ones will cause mischief elsewhere.”

  That’s what I’d been told. I didn’t look forward to the coming days, especially with how often I’d already been sought out. “Thanks for everything, Nicole. Including paying for Cole’s tickets.”

  “How are things going with him, anyway?”

  I shrugged. “They aren’t. I told him I wasn’t interested. And I’m really not. It feels like yes, he’s attracted to me, but that he mostly likes me because of what I am, not who. Maybe that’s only in my head, but even so, it’s a problem.”

  “Agreed. Make sure you give him enough of a chance, though—Aretes marry non-magical people all the time.”

  I tried not to feel frustrated. I hated getting dating advice, even from my best friend. “Will do. I’m just pulling up to Eleanora’s house. She wanted to talk to me.”

  “Let me know what she has to say—if it’s anything important.”

  “I will.”

  Nicole knew I couldn’t relate everything about my job to her, as some things were sensitive. But I occasionally didn’t tell her things because I knew she’d just worry needlessly. And causing her too much stress, possibly putting the baby at risk, was the last thing I wanted. Speaking of which . . .

  “How’re you feeling?” I asked.

  “Better these days. My morning sickness is finally gone. Austin and I have been very productive lately, and not just around the house and garden. The mayor is having us do a few Arete-type things, and it’s been a nice distraction. I want to do as much as I can before the last trimester starts—I’ve been told it’s the worst.”

  “I’m glad you’re keeping busy.”

  “Me too.”

  We ended the call, and I headed up Eleanora’s stairs and pressed the doorbell. Her little yappy dog started yapping, and she pulled the door open almost immediately.

  “Come on in, Lizzie.”

  I stepped inside and was greeted by the smell of fresh cookies. “You’re a complete saint, Eleanora.”

  She only smiled in response, giving me a plate of warm cookies and a glass of milk. She sat across from me at the table and skipped over the usual pleasantries, getting straight to business.

  “Tell me about that necklace you’re wearing,” she said, her eyes dropping to the amulet.

  I instinctively grabbed it and pulled it away from myself, looking at it. “It’s called the Shade Amulet.”

  “Where did you get it?”

  I told her about Alexander and going to Alaska, then learning about the prophecy and how a ghost there had commanded the amulet’s previous owner to give it to me. And then how several days later, a creature had brought it to me.

  Eleanora frowned, staring at the amulet, her expression thoughtful. “How much you know about it?”
>
  I hesitated. “Not much. It’s supposed to help me hunt hounds and kill them. But apart from that, not a whole lot.”

  She glanced at me sharply. “You should know better than to accept magical gifts without knowing where they’ve come from.”

  I felt my cheeks redden. “I trust my friend, Nicole. And Alexander.”

  Eleanora nodded. “Yes, I understand. Nicole’s an excellent person.” But I could tell her concern didn’t leave. “I felt a large amount of magic building up recently. Something is going to be happening soon—I don’t need my sources to tell me that much—and I’m concerned for you.”

  Chapter 24

  Eleanora continued. “How does the amulet help you with these hounds?”

  “It hides me at night, tells me where hounds and other evil creatures are—ones that have a flame inside them—and it helps me kill them.”

  “How does it do that?”

  “Once I’m able to magically grasp their fire, it asks me if I want to kill. I say yes, I snuff out the flame, and the creature dies.”

  The concerned expression still hadn’t left Eleanora’s face. She shook her head. “It doesn’t seem like enough. Did they give you any other instructions? Anything else that would help you?”

  “Well, they told me to find someone to hunt and fight with me. I picked an old friend named Abel.”

  “Who is he?”

  “A man Nicole and I rescued from a different planet several years ago. Back when she and I were fighting demons on other dimensions. He’s definitely skilled when it comes to this sort of thing. It’s kind of intimidating. But . . . I trust him.”

  Eleanora studied my face. “Are you falling for him?”

  I rubbed my eyes, glad I wasn’t wearing makeup. “I don’t know. Honestly, a little while ago, it felt like things were moving forward for us. But now? I don’t know what to think, and I’m positive he doesn’t either.”

  “I need to meet him.”

  “Okay. When?”