“Youminimized how important I am by keeping the truth from me last night. If you really trusted me and valued my opinion, you wouldn’t have waited until Clancy and Merlin were here to give you cover.”
“Gods!” Nox slapped himself on the forehead. “You’re right and I’m so sorry, Nelson. It was selfish of me and I was scared so I did what was easiest. But I promise, Idotrust you and I will do better. You deserve to know whatever I know.” He leaned and offered his lips. “Please don’t go mad, if you really have to go. You can yell at me more later and I’ll listen and do whatever it takes to make you believe me. You’re all that matters and I trust you more than anyone or anything else in the entire universe.”
“Alright.” Nelson’s temper had already lowered to a simmer as he kissed Nox. “I won’t be long.”
“Are you sure you can’t take one of the twins?” Nox asked with a pleading look.
“Why would I drag them away for a quick run to Adelphi and back?”
“What if Dùbhghlas is still watching us and has another one of those Abhartachs?1? You saw what happened to Tony.”
Nelson nodded slowly. “I’ll beware of any zombie children but why would Dùbhghlas bother with me? I don’t have any magick for him to drain and I barely know what’s going on.”
“I said I was sorry!” Nox pushed his lip out. “Please forgive me and please be careful.”
How could Nelson resist? He sighed as he angled his head and sucked on that mischievous lip. “I’m always careful, that’s what makes me so boring,” he whispered and stole another kiss before leaving with Howard’s box of crystals.
The kiss and the crystals must have helped because Nelson felt much better by the time he deposited the box in the Continental’s trunk and closed it. He was whistling as he hung his coat on the hook and ducked into the driver’s seat. It still stung that Nox had omitteda lotabout his meeting with Smoak and Nelson was overwhelmed by the awful news, but he was feeling more centered when he steered the car onto the freeway and stepped on the gas.
There was no way Dùbhghlas would win. Not against Nox and the team he had assembled. And Nelson reminded himself that he had been there when Nox defeated the Dagda, an actualancientand all-powerful being. Whatever Dùbhghlas had done to boost his demonic abilities, it couldn’t be enough to compete witha god.Nox had fought and defeated worse things than Dùbhghlas and there was no telling how many secret powers Nox had up his sleeve.
He threw lightning at the kraken?
Nelson was glad he hadn’t been on Pooles Island to witness that and added it to the list of things he’d yell at Nox about later. He decided he was going to buy the big chunk of black tourmaline in the box from Howard. It was a good size for throwing.
He was actually smiling as he passed the shop, noting that it was busy and that several people had stopped to admire the window display. Howard and Nox spent two days fussing over the Ostara decorations and Nelson thought the bee theme was sweet. He parked in the lot across the street and was putting onhis coat when he noticed a pregnant woman crouched by her car, crying as she gathered the spilled contents of her purse.
Nelson hurried over, shushing as he lowered to a knee and began swiping trial-size bottles and tubes of lipstick and gloss off the pavement. “Are you alright?” he asked her, glancing at her face just as a white work van screeched to a halt next to them.
“Better than you,” she said with a sly grin, her eyes turning black as large bodies leaped from the van and from behind the vehicles to his left and right.
“What the—?” Nelson jumped to his feet and put his hands up defensively but he was swarmed and pummeled by heavy fists and boots. He flailed and punched and clawed at anything in his reach while he kicked and twisted with all of his might.
“Hurry up and get him in the van! Someone’s going to see us!” the woman ordered. She was no longer pregnant as she climbed into the passenger seat.
Sharp bursts of pain flashed and flared all over Nelson’s body but the wind was knocked out of him by a brutal kick to his side and then, he heard a loudbang!as something slammed into his skull. His legs gave out and Nelson’s ears rang as he was lifted by his armpits and dragged to the van. He was grabbed by the front of his coat and pulled as his legs were lifted and his body shoved inside.
“Cuff him and cover his head!” she yelled and grunts, swears, groans, and muffled shouts erupted around Nelson as he thrashed like a wild man. A hood or bag was thrown over his head but Nelson refused to submit, terrified at the prospect of being taken away, of being parted from Nox and unable to protect him. Bodies crashed and tumbled around him and Nelson fought harder and wilder as his panic mounted.
“Use one of the syringes!” someone gasped out, sending Nelson into full blown fury.
Someone else snickered but sounded winded. “Use both. Fuck him.”
“No!” Nelson roared, throwing all of his weight against what he hoped was the back doors. He swung his shoulders and kicked wildly so they couldn’t pin him down but let out a loud yelp when he felt a hot sting in his thigh, followed by another in his asscheek. “Get the fuck—!” he started but his limbs turned to jelly as he slumped onto his side. “Offff…” Nelson’s head rolled back and there were relieved chuckles and more groans while the other bodies in the back of the van rearranged themselves.
Nelson received a few petty kicks and was elbowed and shoved but could do nothing except listen and cling to lucidness. He was being taken away and Nox was in danger.
“Let the boss know we’ve got him,” the woman said. “We’ll be there sometime around sunset,” she added, cranking up Nelson’s terror: he was being takenfaraway if they were going to be on the road for that long. Possibly to another state.
Chapter Six
Merlin was waiting for his turn when Nox trudged back into the study. He already felt like a heel and didn’t need another lecture to know he had messed up. But Nox had been a shit and owed it to them to listen. This one was going to be a doozy, judging from theseriousglances Clancy and Merlin were trading from across the study.
“Could you give me a hand in the kitchen, lad?” Merlin asked sweetly and held up the tea pot.
Good cop, it is.
“Sure!” Nox cocked his head toward the kitchen and led the way.
