Page 14 of Dead End (Crossroads Queen #9)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Hope carried me all the way to the Castle. The house looked intact. Even the roof tiles broken by Ziz had been fixed. Ray must’ve done that before he crossed over. A fixer to the very end.

I dashed through the gate and over the bridge, waving to the moat as I passed. “Hello, you beautiful body of water.”

The front door opened, and I ran straight into Kane’s arms. His mouth found mine, and I pressed the length of my body against his broad frame. His lips tasted like blueberries. Merciful gods. I was home.

“My parents are alive, Kane.” My voice cracked. “They’re alive.” I grabbed his arms and pulled him in for another jubilant kiss.

“I’ve heard of dinner and a show, but not breakfast and a show.”

I broke off the kiss to see Goran standing in the foyer, holding a bowl of cereal. He was clad in plaid boxers and a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt.

“I don’t recommend wearing that shirt outside,” I said .

“It’s only for sleeping in. Got it at the thrift store for a dollar.”

“You overpaid,” I said.

Kane held my waist, as though I might leave again. “Tell me about your parents.”

“I will, in great and annoying detail, but we have bigger priorities right now. The Corporation is coming.”

Goran shoveled a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. “Isn’t that the reason you left?” His words were garbled but intelligible.

“They wanted me to leave; that was their plan. What they really wanted is control of the crossroads.”

“Then why didn’t they come while you’ve been away?” Kane asked.

“I have a couple theories, but the important part is that they’ll be here sooner rather than later.”

Goran ate faster.

“Where are Kami and Libby?”

“Libby is at the coffee shop, and Kami’s at the library,” Kane said.

“They’re working,” Goran added.

My mouth fell open. “They got jobs?”

“I offered to foot the bill while they figured out their next steps,” Kane said, “but they didn’t want to take any handouts.”

Goran raised his hand. “I volunteered as tribute.”

“Where’s Claude?”

“He went with Libby to give her a helping hand,” Goran said with a snort.

I wasn’t sure how people would feel about the revenant’s gnarly fingers touching their pastries; I assumed he would stay hidden behind the counter.

I splayed my hands on Kane’s chest. “As happy as I am to be back, I have to stay focused on the plan.”

Kane cocked his head. “There’s already a plan? ”

“I came up with it between the underworld and here.” Which meant it would need a few tweaks, but it was a start. “I need you to call an Assassins Guild meeting. Have them come to the Castle.”

“Okay.”

“And I’m going to invite the Arrowhead Pack.”

“Not okay.”

I looked up at him. “Why not?”

“They’ll bicker. It’ll be distracting.”

“We need them both, Kane. Every last one of them.”

He closed his eyes, mulling it over. “Fine. What time? Some of the assassins don’t roll out of bed until the afternoon.”

“We need to meet now. They can nap when they’re safe.”

His mouth tightened. “Understood. I’ll contact the guild. You handle the pack.”

“Where’s my phone?” I hadn’t bothered to take it to the underworld. If I’d known it would only be a temporary trip, I would have.

“Right where you left it,” Goran said.

I hurried into the kitchen to call West.

“The chief will want to be part of the meeting,” West said, once I explained my intentions.

“No. We can’t have the police attending what’s essentially an Assassins Guild meeting. I need her attention where it already is, on the regular residents.”

“Whatever you say, Your Majesty. See you in twenty.”

I set down the phone and surveyed the kitchen. “Do we have any snacks?”

Goran pushed out his chest. “I’m Nana Pratt’s worthy successor. Of course we have snacks. ”

Half an hour later, the parlor room was crammed with assassins and werewolves. Probably not the party mix Joseph Edgar Blue III had in mind when the tycoon built Bluebeard’s Castle.

I stood in front of the fireplace and faced them. “First I’d like to thank you all for coming on such short notice.”

West’s mouth cracked into a grin. “You didn’t really think the pack would let you do this alone, did you?”

“You might want to get your vision checked, wolf-man,” Vaughn said. “There’s an entire guild sitting here.”

Anna directed a low growl at the assassin. “Careful how you speak to the alpha.”

“He’s not my alpha,” Vaughn shot back.

From behind the sofa, Gunther smacked the back of the mage’s head. “Put your ego back in the box. We have more important things to discuss.”

Josie sniffed the air. “Do I smell popcorn?”

Goran swept into the room carrying large bowls of popcorn. “Buttered and salted.” With a flourish, he offered a bowl to Josie.

I tried to keep the meeting on track. “I told you before that The Corporation was coming for me. I have reason to believe that’s no longer true. I think they want control of the crossroads so they can use it as a staging area for their supernatural armies to invade other realms.”

Vaughn twirled a knife between his fingers in an idle gesture. “Sounds good to me. What assassin wouldn’t want the chance to take down a god?”

“What about the rules?” Camryn asked. “How are we supposed to fight gods if we’re not allowed to kill on Fairhaven soil?”

“Technically you can’t kill them,” I said. “At worst, you’ll put them out of commission for a couple centuries.”

Alfonso glanced at Kane. “What do you think, boss? ”

“This is somewhat unprecedented,” Kane said. “I think Lorelei makes an excellent point, though. I do not believe you would be in violation of the rules should you end up using lethal force against an invading deity.”

“Just remember,” I interjected. “The goal is not to kill.”

“Yeah, the goal is to keep them from killing us,” Josie said.

I gave her a firm look. “The primary objective is to immobilize them.”

“How are we expected to immobilize them without killing them?” Franco asked. “Seems to me that killing them, whatever that means for a god, is the only way to achieve that.”

“Do what you must,” Kane said, “by whatever means necessary.”

The assassins let the words settle. Finally, Camryn’s raised her hand, wiggling her fingers in the air. “I have a question.”

“I’m listening,” Kane said.

“What if we don’t want to kill anyone?”

Vaughn snorted. “You’re an assassin, Cam. It’s right there in the job title.”

“I’m serious,” Cam said. “I want to protect Fairhaven and all of you, but what if I want to do that without dealing death?”

“We already established there’d be no real death for them,” Justine told her.

Camryn offered a small nod. “I know. I guess what I’m really trying to say is, once this is over…”

“That’s a big assumption, sweetie,” Gun said.

Cam tipped back her head to look at him. “It’ll be over one way or another, regardless of the winner.” She sucked in a breath. “And when it is, if I live through it, I’m withdrawing my membership from the guild. ”

It took me a moment to register her words. “You’re quitting?”

“I’m choosing a life that aligns with my needs.” Her gaze locked on mine. “That’s what you did, Lor. I’m following your lead.”

Franco grunted. “Yeah, and look how well that’s working out for her.”

I ignored him, keeping my focus on Camryn. “What made you decide this?”

“It isn’t because of me, is it?” Vaughn asked.

Camryn laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself. This is about me and only me.”

Kane inclined his head. “I’ll consider this your two weeks’ notice.”

Relief whooshed from her lungs. Gunther gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

“Well, that means we’ll have room on the roster for one more guild member,” Monica said.

Cedric’s lips were drawn tight. “Gun’s right. Best not to make any assumptions right now.” The mage turned to me. “Let’s say we manage to subdue these gods. Then what? Where do we hold them that they can’t escape?”

“We can’t hold a bunch of gods indefinitely,” Anna said. “They’ll either bust their way out and kill us all while we sleep, or they’ll escape and regroup, which means we’ll be fighting them again.”

I was beginning to feel overwhelmed. They raised valid points, to which I had no good responses.

Alfonso raised his hand. “When can we expect the invasion?”

“Soon,” I said. “My guess is they’re still finalizing their program. There’s no point in securing the crossroads until they’re close to mobilizing. The longer they have to defend the crossroads, the more chance they have of losing control before they’re at full strength.”

“Won’t they just use their new supernatural army against us?” Josie asked.

“That isn’t how they’ll do it,” a voice said. I watched as Libitina pushed her way through the gathered bodies with Claude riding on her shoulder.

I smiled. “Hi, Claude. Libby.” I was pleased to note the goddess appeared to be fully recovered.

“Good to see you again, friend.” Claude hopped to my shoulder as Libby joined me at the fireplace to address the group. “The Corporation will send their most powerful first to secure the area. They’ll strike hard and fast. Only then will they summon their new army to send them through the crossroads to the different realms all at once, like a disease designed to infect and destroy.”

I thought of Dilmun. “That way one realm won’t have time to warn another or join forces,” I said. “It’ll be a clean sweep.”

“I think Sage should be here for this,” West said. “Her magic would come in handy.”

“Phaedra, too,” Josie said. “Hell, anybody with magic should be here right now.”

“I agree with Josie,” Gun said. “My cards might not work as easily on gods. You can’t rely on La Fortuna magic.”

West caught my eye. “Don’t think I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do, Clay, but we need them,” he said quietly.

He was right. I’d hoped to keep them out of harm’s way, but their magic would be invaluable in a fight of this nature. “Fine. Let’s take a ten-minute break while we call them.”

West held up his phone. “I’ll call Sage.”

I set Claude on the coffee table and walked outside to call Phaedra. I didn’t relish asking the witch to put her neck on the line. She’d already been more generous than I deserved .

Kane joined me on the porch. “You do realize you’re not asking Phaedra to do a favor for you. This is everyone’s fight now.”

I sat on the top step. “It’s a hard habit to break.”

“What?”

“Protecting others.”

“Phaedra is a powerful witch. Bridger Farm is closer to the crossroads than the Castle. She has every reason to be part of this discussion.”

The muscles in my stomach clenched.

“You’re dismayed,” Kane said.

“What gave it away?”

“Mainly the folded arms, the scrunched nose, and the row of lines between your eyebrows, but there are other tells.”

I tried to relax the muscles in my face. “I don’t want to be a Negative Nellie, but I don’t think what we have will be enough.”

“Isn’t it Negative Nancy?”

“I always say Nellie, like Nellie Olsen. I watched a lot of Little House on the Prairie with my grandparents.”

“Haven’t seen it, but I look forward to watching many episodes with you in the future.” He offered me an encouraging smile, which I failed to return. “Talk to me, Lorelei.”

“I’m worried I’m going to get us all killed.”

“ You won’t be responsible for getting anyone killed. That blame will go to The Corporation.”

I recalled the devastating images of Dilmun that Nabu had shown me. “I’m concerned our defenses won’t be enough.” And that even if we managed to stand our ground, the gods would destroy Fairhaven out of spite.

“Then we’ll simply gather more defenses.”

I gave him a rueful smile. “Simple. Sure thing.”

“What about Apep? Your tip allowed him to recover Anubis. He owes you. ”

“That particular debt has been repaid.” I left it there. I didn’t want to talk about Unas.

“We’ll send messages to anyone and everyone who might be of help. The worst they can say is no.”

My gaze drifted to the crows that now lined the fence. Word of my return seemed to have spread. “All right. I’ll send a message to the Night Mallt.”

“Excellent idea. The Wild Hunt would be extremely useful. I would send one to Helheim as well. Let them know their realm is at risk, too.”

“Fine.”

“You should also call Otto.”

My gaze swung to him. “I won’t ask him to fight.”

“Otto is a vampire. Let him decide if and how he wants to participate. Fairhaven is his home, too. At the very least, he deserves to be part of the conversation.”

I rested my head on his shoulder. “Do me a favor and grab me a pen and paper from the house while I make a couple phone calls?”

He kissed the top of my head. “It would be my pleasure.”

I sent messages to everyone I could think of, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. No exclusions this time. Otto arrived in the back of a black sedan with tinted windows. I met him at the gate and accompanied him inside the house.

The vampire stopped short in the library. “This room is crying out for a piano.”

“How can you tell?”

He waved his hands at the bare side of the room. “I sense a lot of empty space over there. It leaves the room unbalanced.”

“You know I can’t afford a piano. ”

“Check the classifieds. Someone is always giving away a perfectly good piano.”

“I’ll get right on that as soon as I stop an army of gods from killing me and everyone I love.”

Otto ran his hand along the closest shelf. “Ray did an excellent job.”

“He’d be thrilled to hear you say that.”

Otto continued to inspect the shelves with his hands, feeling the grooves and carvings.

Anna poked her head through the doorway. “Lorelei, there’s a tiny lady outside who claims to be a goddess friend of yours.”

I glanced out the window. Kamikins stood on the bridge, hands on hips, where she’d been stopped by two assassins. “That’s Kami. She lives here.”

“Oops. Sorry about that. Can’t be too careful these days.”

“Sounds like you have quite a full house,” Otto said.

“Very much so.”

West appeared in the library, holding a half-eaten crispy cake. “Are you ready to start?”

I stared at the treat. “Where did you find that?”

He glanced at the snack in his hand, like he’d only just noticed it. “Goran gave it to me.”

“Are there any more?”

“No, sorry. Last one.” He hesitated for a split second before thrusting the treat toward me. “Here. You can have the rest.”

I was sorely tempted. In the end, I couldn’t deprive him of it. “That’s okay. You can have it.”

He stuffed the second half into his mouth and mumbled a nearly unintelligible “thanks.”

Kami stood in the foyer as we made our way to the parlor room. “You’re home.”

“I am. We’re about to have an important meeting that I think you’ll want to join.” I observed her calm demeanor. “You don’t seem surprised to see me.”

“You can take the goddess out of the prophecy department, but you can’t take the prophecy out of the goddess.”

“What did you see?”

She clasped my hand and tugged me toward the staircase. “Come with me.”

“Two minute warning,” I called over my shoulder.

Kami shut the door of the guest bedroom behind me and retrieved her messenger bag from the closet. “Remember this?”

“Um, your bag? Sure.”

She opened the flap and produced one of the items from inside.

A collar.

Right. Kami had told me there were eight collars in the bag. According to Nabu, eight deities had tried to take over Dilmun. There were also eight deities on the Board of Directors. It seemed an unlikely coincidence.

“I told you a vision told me to take these,” Kami said.

“But you didn’t know why.”

“I think I do now.” She dropped the collar back into the bag and passed it to me. “I think we both do.”

“There are eight members of the Board of Directors,” I told the group, once the meeting was called to order. “They’re at the top of the power pyramid.”

“Eight gods don’t sound so bad,” Gun said.

“You wouldn’t say that if you’d seen the state of Dilmun after their attack. When they knew they were about to lose, they made sure to leave as much destruction in their wake as possible. ”

“Petty bitches.” Josie shook her head. “I’d respect the hell out of it if we weren’t the ones about to fight them.”

“I would expect more than eight of them,” Kami said. “The crossroads are far more valuable to them than Dilmun was.”

West piped up. “Which gods are we expecting?”

“More than we can handle,” I admitted. “The identity of the board is confidential, but my money is on Bossu, Dis, Mars, and Fafnir. I think Inanna is one, but I can’t be certain.” I glanced at Libby and Kami for confirmation.

“I wish I knew,” Libby said.

“Posy identified Bossu as the chairman of the board. That if we take him down, the rest will follow. They won’t have time to fill the power vacuum.”

Kami shrugged. “I didn’t trust Posy, but I trust her intel.”

Sage lowered herself to the floor in a cross-legged position. “I don’t know any of those names except Mars.”

Camryn ripped open a fresh box of Nerds. “Mars is a candy bar.”

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll go through all their known strengths and weaknesses.” Thank you, Pops.

“How will we recognize Bossu?” West asked.

“He’s impossible to miss. Three horns and the head of a bull. Fafnir is probably the second most powerful. He’s a dragon god.”

Officer Leo’s mouth opened with a shocked squeak.

In the background, I heard the front door open. “Am I late?” Alessandro skidded past the parlor room and immediately backed up to observe the gathered group. “I think I’ve had this dream, except I’m usually naked.” He looked down at his fully clothed body. “Bummer.”

“How are we supposed to fight a dragon?” Chief Garcia asked, picking up the previous thread of conversation.

“There’s no ‘we,’” West said. “You’re not getting anywhere near the fight. We need you and Kilkenny to set up a line of defense in the residential areas.”

“Can’t Phaedra work on that?” the chief countered. “If she can cast a spell that sets up a protective border around the town, that would free up Leo and I to help you.”

West placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “This isn’t a commentary on your abilities, Elena. You and Kilkenny are best suited to keep the peace and protect the people if the fight spills outside Wild Acres.”

“Which it won’t,” Gunther chimed in. “Because we’re going to contain it.”

A series of affirming grunts and shouts punctuated his statement.

Josie’s voice rose above the noise. “Nobody’s asking the obvious question.”

My gaze slid to the vampire. “Which is?”

“What if they don’t send their leadership? What if we only get the scraps? Do we send a team to Paradise to take them down?”

“They’re sending their A-team, trust me.” I knew it the way a caterpillar sensed the approach of a predatory wasp.

Bert raised his hand. “There isn’t a wolf god, is there? I don’t want to feel conflicted.”

“No wolf god worth their salt is going to cut down a pack defending its territory,” West said. “That isn’t a god I would ever serve.”

Vaughn stroked the handle of the knife in his hand. “Any more big guns or is it just the bull and the dragon?”

“Consider them all big guns,” I said. “It’s only a matter of whether they’re a Barrett M82 or a Desert Eagle.”

“And they’ll take no prisoners,” Kane said. “Their primary objective is to secure the crossroads by whatever means necessary.”

“So they can use the full extent of their godly powers, but we have to hold back?” Scoffing, Vaughn shook his head. “You’re asking us to defend our lives with one hand tied behind us.”

Camryn cast a sidelong glance at him. “You have plenty of experience doing jobs one-handed. You’ll be fine.”

Vaughn flicked his knife, and the blade landed beside her, the point wedged in the arm of the sofa.

“Hey, that’s genuine leather,” I objected.

“Debatable,” Gun coughed into his hand.

West pounded a fist on the coffee table. “Nobody is asking you to hold back.”

“You said we can’t kill,” Vaughn pointed out.

“You can’t kill them, moron,” Josie said. “They’re immortal beings. What part of that don’t you understand?”

It took me a minute to wrestle back control of the meeting, but I managed. I shared everything I knew about the key figures, and Kami and Libby chimed in with additional details. We set up an emergency alert system, as well as extra eyes on the crossroads thanks to the crows. The moment Bossu and his buddies set foot on Fairhaven soil, we’d be ready and waiting for them.

Otto lingered after the meeting. “I believe I have news that will cheer you considerably.”

I smiled wryly. “You couldn’t have led with that when you got here?”

“You were too preoccupied. Now that the meeting is over, I think you’re in a better position to hear what I have to say.”

Now he had my attention. I joined him on the sofa. “What is it?”

“You didn’t ask why Phaedra failed to show.”

“I assume she has her reasons.”

“She does, indeed. She and I have been busy while you’ve been gone. Remember the vase?”

The vase. The vase. I tried to remember all the knickknacks in his grand house. “The one with the rosebuds on the piano?”

He groaned. “No, Lorelei. The ancient one that I won at the auction house.”

“That basically describes everything you own.”

A tiny vein protruded from his forehead. “The vase that contains the cursed Yanmen Army. Ten thousand souls of one of the greatest armies ever known.”

I snapped my fingers. “From glory to hoary. Now I remember.”

He pursed his lips. “Yes. I’m delighted your joke is what jogged your memory.”

“Okay, so what about them?”

“Ever since you were forced to leave, Phaedra and I have been working together to determine how to break the curse. Think about it, Lorelei. An unstoppable army right at our fingertips.”

The vampire and the witch had been working together on a plan. I’d say I was tickled pink, but that reminded me of Posy, so I quickly skipped ahead to my next thought. “Isn’t that dangerous? If you let them loose, how would you control them? They could end up destroying everything in their path.”

“Ah, but that’s the beauty of research, you see. It’s much like Aladdin’s lamp. Do you remember that story?”

“If you rub the vase, the army grants you three wishes?”

“Not quite. The army is beholden to the one who releases them from their eternal prison.”

What if their research was wrong? It happened all the time. Information was outdated or had become warped over the years. What if we released the army and discovered they answered to no one except themselves?

“The benefits outweigh the risks,” Otto said, as though reading my thoughts .

“Says the vampire who probably has a fully stocked bunker for scenarios like this.”

“Yes, it’s right next to the wine cellar.” Otto sighed. “Seriously, Lorelei. This vase is my gift to you and the town. Take it.”

“Where is it now?”

“Bridger Farm.”

My heart thrummed in my ears. “Dare I ask the million-dollar question?”

He tapped the pads of his fingers together in a gesture that would’ve looked diabolical on someone else. The short-statured vampire, however, simply looked adorable. “Why yes, Lorelei. As it happens, I believe we’ve found the spell that can release them.”

“Then what have you been waiting for?”

“The one equipped to lead them, of course. You.”