The Beckoning of Bravelicious Things (The Beckoning Series Book 3) Read online

  “How old are your kids?” I say, fishing around in my backpack. I pull out a baggie with a few pieces of jerky and toss them to her. “This is all you get until we get there. Dole them out between you and your asshole employer.”

  She nods. “My kids are five and eight. Good kids. I love them to pieces.”

  “That’s good to know.” I break up one of the pieces of jerky and begin tossing them to my dog. “Who’s watching them now?”

  “Their auntie. My sister. Her name’s Peaches. Well, that’s just her nickname. Her real name it Susan but everyone calls her Peaches.”

  I smile. “Sounds like you’re close.”

  “She’s a doll. Has no kids of her own so she likes to watch mine.” Mary pries apart the baggy. “This place is sure odd,” Mary says, munching on a piece of buffalo meat. “I mean, can’t hear my footsteps, can’t hear yours, can’t hear myself sliding down an incline—pure freakazoid. But I hear you talk and you hear me.”

  I nod. “Yep, this place has some strange tendencies.”

  She lifts a corner of Armando’s gag and slips a piece of jerky in his mouth. “Don’t need to hear none of your lip,” she tells him. “So you can eat with this gag in place.” She pulls the sturdy cloth back over his mouth and pats it in place. “I’ll feed you, then we’ll take care of your bodily needs. No monkey business, though.”

  I kind of like her no-nonsense characteristics. I smile, toss another scrap to Sober, and tear a piece of jerky with my teeth. I reach for my water when Sober makes a low, deep growl. “What is it, pup?”

  Another growl leaves his throat, followed by a whine.

  Immediately I launch to my feet, retrieve my sword, and scan in a 360. “Be quiet,” I tell Mary. “Not a peep.” I look left, right, up and down.

  Sober continues growling and whining.

  “Crap, dog, what is it?”

  His whining grows more insistent, accompanied by tail wags.

  I feel what he’s feeling and my heart blooms as three alpha males appear out of nowhere, landing with completely silent footfalls in front of my face.

  Chapter 30

  “Sorry it took so long to get here, darlin’,” Rafe says. He wraps his arms around me and gives me a huge bear hug. He plants a warm, wet kiss on my lips before pulling away. “We had to calm your boyfriend down. The dude’s got a temper.”

  “I’ll say,” River says, pushing Rafe aside to embrace me. “I didn’t want to use blood magic because I figured you’d want him alive,” he says into my hair.

  I’m staring into Daniel’s dead, icy gaze, my arms wrapped around this gorgeous hunk of male. “That’s debatable,” I say.

  River tips my head up, brushes my lips tenderly with his, then steps aside.

  “Guys, this is Mary,” I say, gesturing toward her. “Mary, this is Rafe, River, and Daniel.” My eyes seek out Daniel’s. He continues to give me a frost-filled glare. “Aren’t you going to say anything to me?”

  He turns away.

  “This is an improvement, love,” River says softly.

  “It took us forever to talk him off the mental cliff he was on. He, uh, did a little damage to the route we need to take,” Rafe says.

  “What kind of damage?” I say, burning holes into Daniel’s back.

  “You know that bridge?”

  “Yes.”

  “The one that used to be there?”

  “Oh, no,” I say.

  “And the hillside surrounding it?” River adds.

  “You destroyed it, Daniel? That’s our only way to the other side.” I throw back my head. “Damn!”

  “Yeah, but you’re not going that way, are you?” He slowly spins and pins me with his mesmerizing blue gaze. “You’re going in the complete opposite direction. With my father, fully restored, back to his evil self.” His jaw’s rigid.

  His words land like a solid punch in my gut. “I can explain. I had to do it. Sober and I—we weren’t going to make it. I did some stupid things.”

  “Like what,” he says, his face conformed into a furious countenance.

  “Like Mason Boulder took my sword,” I say in a huff.

  “The stone magician?” Daniel looks incredulous. “You let the stone magician take your sword? He’s a meddlesome old fool. A sly trader. He can wheedle the whiskers off a bobcat. Plus, he’s not that strong.”

  “I didn’t exactly let him but, yeah, he got it and tucked it into his dwelling. Then he tucked me into his dwelling. And, well, here we are.” I spread my arms wide.

  Daniel shakes his head.

  He doesn’t look as angry. Or maybe I’m just being wishful. “Sorry?” I say, placing my hands on my hips.

  “Well, I guess we’d better get on our way, haven’t we?” He whirls and stalks up the hill.

  Mary zips up Armando’s fly, leaving a smelly wet streak along the side of the rock. She hefts him across her shoulder and follows Daniel. River and Rafe stay with me, striding on both sides.

  “You were one kickass babe, back there,” Rafe says congenially.

  “We’re all proud of you,” River says, draping an arm around me.

  It feels great to have my tribe with me again, however tense things are. “Thanks, guys. You’re pretty amazing yourselves. I got to witness why you never wanted to tell me what you do, Rafe.” I shudder. “Damn! You’re ruthless when you need to be. Is that the kick you get from going berserk?”

  “That was nothing,” he says, his face growing dark. “It’s just a job. But let’s not dwell on that. Onward and upward.” He wraps an arm around my waist. “It’s good to be with you again.”

  “Same here. Hey,” I say, my face brightening. “You went berserk and you didn’t make any threats on my life. Making progress?”

  “Too soon to tell,” he says, removing his arm from my waist to give me and River room to pass through a narrow passageway. “But I’m working on it.”

  River steps to the side as well.

  I make my way alongside a rock wall. Water dribbles down the surface, trickles along a narrow overhang, and drips onto the five inch purchase I’m carefully negotiating. It’s like watching a nature show, with the volume turned off, though.

  When we’re side by side again, River says, “I was ready to deal with him, but only if it came to that,” he adds, glancing at Rafe. “You did a good job managing.”

  Rafe rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re kind of like my sponsor. Shit,” he says, kicking a small pebble. It flies through the air, pinging against a boulder without a sound.

  I smile. It seems they’ve forged some kind of alliance.

  “But anyway, when I have to wreak that much havoc—that was a lot of killing, you know—the berserker rage ultimately dissipates. It’s when I have to commit one or two brutal murders and I’ve been cooped up for days and…” He drags a hand through his red hair. “That’s when it’s hard to control. When I haven’t been given enough to do, well…” He shakes his head. “And I refuse to murder randomly.”

  “You have ethics, I see,” I say, reaching for his warm hand. I run my thumb along his skin, savoring the contact.

  “I try.”

  “But don’t worry about Daniel. He’s as pissed at himself as he is at you,” River says, reaching for my other hand. He brings it to his lips and softly kisses my knuckles.

  I nod, blinking back sudden tears. “I’ve never seen him this mad.”

  “He’s had a time of it,” River says. “He was furious that he made a mistake, putting you in harm’s way. You’ll have to help him get over that one. He needs to know he gave you a chance to test your mettle or something like that. Then, we had a hell of a time controlling his hunger-starved beasts. You can bet he never neglects them again.”

  “What’s that bit about Somalia?” I ask.

  “Oh, he had to feed the beasts and corruption’s high there. Now that was a bloody mess. Talk about carnage.” River purses his lips.

  “Yeah,” Rafe says with a chuckle. “Boom! We ex
plode from the Shadow Lands with demons from hell on leashes. I was their ‘dog handler.’” He makes air quotes around the phrase.

  “Hey! I had plenty to deal with,” River says, his blue eyes brightly animated.

  “I gave you all the babies.”

  “We didn’t have babies,” River says in protest. “I had an angry male son of a bitch to wrestle, along with all the rest of those wicked creatures.”

  “Yeah, well I had twenty angry motherfuckers, plus some really pissed off mamas, plus a ton of random demons eager to feed. And Daniel—shit, he was like a cowboy gone really bad on top of that fucking Annihilator. That thing can feed, baby. Chomp!”

  The two men laugh, regaling me with stories.

  I smile listening to them duke it out, trying to prove who’s the baddest of the bad. I glance with longing at Daniel’s muscular back in the distance ahead. I hope we’ll all be laughing again before this day is through.

  Chapter 31

  Since there’s little conversation amidst the strained silence, we make good progress. Two days later we arrive at Mason’s.

  He peers through a little window in his stone world, looking out anxiously when we arrive. “I heard you coming,” he says.

  “How could you hear us coming? We don’t make a sound roaming these lands.”

  “It’s more of a vibration kind of thing,” he says dismissively. He scans each of us, finds Armando, and smiles.

  Armando’s eyebrows arch in surprise toward his hairline.

  He doesn’t exactly look terrified, though, as I expected.

  “I see you’ve made good on our agreement,” the stone magician says.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

  He disappears, reappears, opens his maw of a stone door to let us in. “Come in, come in. Refreshments will be served. Take a load off.”

  We traipse inside, Daniel at the lead like the Alpha male he is.

  “We’re not staying. This isn’t a social visit. This is Marissa fulfilling whatever obligation she has to you and us getting the hell out of here,” he says tersely.

  “Oh, do stay a while. You need to rest and eat. I need the company.”

  “We’ll accept your hospitality with a good meal. But then, we leave.” Daniel pulls out a stone chair near the wall and folds his six foot six frame into it, crossing his arms over his chest. I remember that when I met him, he was two or three inches shorter. When he returned from locking himself into the world of demons, he returned a taller man.

  Rafe and River join him at the table.

  River leans back in his chair, balancing on the two back legs. Rafe slumps forward, propping his head in his hands. Clearly, my guys are exhausted.

  “Marissa, come,” Daniel says, giving me a hard glare.

  Those are the most words he’s spoken to me in two days and this isn’t the place to start an argument. I stalk over and sit next to him, partly since that’s the only chair left on that side of the table and I want to be able to see the entire room—it’s a feng shui thing. It’s also a necessity when you’re dealing with danger. I scoot away slightly.

  He reaches over, pulls me close, and places a hand possessively on my thigh.

  Mason tells Mary, “Place Armando on that chair there. And you—make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa.”

  “Thank you, Mr.…” she says.

  “Boulder. Mason Boulder. Call me Mason.”

  “All right, Mason.” She swings Armando over her shoulder and positions him in the chair. “There you go, dipshit. Safe and sound.” She wipes her hands together and says, “Is there a ladies’ room?”

  “Down the hall, to the left. Can’t miss it.” Mason tinkles the bell, alerting the chef to our presence.

  Mary returns, her wavy brown hair combed, lipstick on her thin lips. She tucks the ruby red lipstick container in her pocket, pats her hair, and sits across from Rafe. “Need help holding your head up?”

  “No, thanks,” he says.

  The chef shuffles out a short time later with beverages and appetizers—hearty ale in frosty mugs, crackers, dip, and other “rabbit fare” (Rafe’s word, not mine), along with pungent cheeses and seasonal fruit. The dwarf zips out soon after with a bowl of food for Sober.

  While we’re politely stuffing our faces, Mason says, “Would you mind removing Armando’s restraints? At least his gag. I’d like to feed him, too.”

  I turn to Daniel.

  He shrugs, saying, “This is your deal, not mine,” before draining his mug of beer. “Damn good beer you brew up here, Magi.”

  “We do our best. Won a couple of awards this past year,” Mason says, beaming.

  “You two know each other?” I say.

  “Where do you think I get my beer?”

  “Safeway?”

  “You might want to get a bit nosier when it comes to your boyfriend,” Rafe says. “The Navids are a secretive lot.”

  “I think I’ll wait until we’re ready to leave to remove Armando’s gag,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I just want to eat, drink my fill, and get going.”

  Mason’s face falls slightly but he nods in assent. “As you wish. You’re in charge here.”

  “Hardly,” I say. I’ve tried to remove Daniel’s hand from my leg, but he keeps a firm grip on me. I turn to him and give him a tight-lipped smile.

  At last we prepare to depart. “Okay, Mason,” I say, gathering my belongings. He’s decided to gift me with the backpack “for my trouble,” and filled it with supplies for the boys and me to make our journey.

  Rafe has informed me that he has a place “down the way,” where he stays from time to time. I’m eager to see what kind of place he lives in. We’ve agreed to escort Mary to a portal just outside of the land of rattlesnake colors, and we’re all looking forward to regrouping—just the four of us.

  I lift my hand, visualize the gag out of Armando’s mouth, and it disappears. “There you go, Mason.”

  Armando works his jaw back and forth, sticks out his tongue, and says, “I’d like a beer, too, you old coot.”

  “You owe me, you bastard.”

  “I was going to get around to re-paying you,” Mason says.

  “And you’ll start tonight with a game of cards.”

  “You’d better believe it. I need my rest before I take off after this sorry lot.”

  Their tone is light, friendly, competitive. My jaw drops. “You two sound like old friends!”

  “We’ve known each other a while, wouldn’t you say, Armando?”

  “Too long to count,” he says.

  “So, you’re back to your evil ways?” Mason says, slapping him on the back.

  “Ouch,” Armando says, wincing. “I’ve been dragged on my back, cradled like a baby, slung over shoulders…don’t think I’m ready for that.”

  “You’re old friends,” I say, still stuck on that piece of information.

  “Old drinking buddies, more like it.”

  “And poker pals,” Armando says.

  “And share the babe pals, when we win too much.”

  “Or lose our asses,” Armando says.

  “I thought Armando had committed some serious offence,” I say, flabbergasted.

  “What made you think that?” Mason says. “I didn’t say anything to imply that.” He saunters to the tiny bell and tinkles it. “Bring us some more ale. And set up the card room. I’ve got to win the shorts off this asshole.” He lets out a short laugh.

  “I feel betrayed!” I say. A cauldron of emotion simmers, ready to burst into flames any moment.

  “Easy, Marissa, you chose this. You have to live with it,” Daniel whispers.

  “It was fair and square,” Mason says. “You even got an extra day’s food out of me. Plus, a fine new backpack and even more supplies. That was my best backpack. You don’t hear me bitching.”

  “You jackass,” I say, lunging at him.

  River catches me and holds me back.

  “Let me go! I’m going to tear his throat out.” />
  “Didn’t you say he saved your and the pup’s life, darlin’?” Rafe says softly in my ear. “Let it go. Let’s move on.”

  River says in my other ear, “I’ll let you go if you do as Rafe says. We’ll go, and leave them to whatever mischief they get to.”

  “All right,” I say with an angry shake of my shoulders. “You!” I stab my finger at Armando. “I’m going to call in that marker someday, guaranteed. In the meantime, I’m keeping my eye on you. If you ever cross me or my family again…” My hand slices across my neck. “You’re dead.”

  Armando winces slightly. He’s actually kind of afraid of me. Makes me, well, smile inside.

  “I hear you. I keep my promises, don’t worry. But after I do…” An evil smile creeps across his face, revealing his intentions.

  “Oh, I’m not worried. You should be. And don’t bother trying to find us. By the time you get out of here, we’ll be long, long gone. Boys? Let’s get out of here.” I whirl, stoop to retrieve my backpack, and say, “Open the door please.”

  “If you insist. We could have a friendly card game—the six of us—between friends, you know.”

  “You are not my friend,” I say, jabbing a finger in his stony chest.

  Mason grimaces, then reaches for the door handle only he can see. He holds the door open wide. “Any time you’re in the area, just stop in and say hi.”

  “Right,” I say, stalking past him.

  When we’re all safely outside, he closes the door behind him.

  “Hold up. Quick, help me get the pack off,” I say. “I need to do something to restore my good name and hinder their departure.”

  Rafe swiftly guides it from my shoulders.

  “Mason has a ritual. We only have a few seconds before…” My hand swirls in the bottom of my pack. “Here it is.” I pull the key to his front door free, and move my hands along the stone, searching for a keyhole.

  River takes a cue and helps. “Right here, love,” he says, his finger tapping a slight indentation in the stone.

  I fit the key in and turn. Sure enough, it glides smoothly, clinking shut with a snap. Within seconds, I hear muffled shouts from the stone magician’s cavernous world.