“I’m new to this!” I said in exasperation. “I’d like to see you be poised and hip if you just suddenly learned that the world wasn’t what you thought!”
“Hello! Memory wipe! I didn’t know I was a demon until Slick pointed it out. So we’ve had the same amount of time to get up to speed, and one of us is lacking.”
“Please tell me I have the time to talk to Aisling right now to give him back,” I asked Kostya. “I know you want to get out and about to find this charming person—”
“Charmer, babe. You’d think she could retain that longer than a few hours, huh, Slick?”
Kostya set fire to Jim’s head. He yelped and ran into the bedroom. Sounds of splashing from the adjacent bathroom followed.
“If your head is in the toilet, you’re going to get a bath before I pet you again,” I called out, giving Kostya a gimlet eye. He still held me, but he looked thoughtful now, as if he was plotting. I put my hand on his chest and stroked the heavy muscle there until he glanced down at me, a question in his eyes. “Part of telling me what you’re thinking about applies to non-sex times, too. Do you have an idea of something we can offer Drake instead of the ring?”
“No. I was considering your request. It makes sense. I will leave you here to work with Aisling while I speak to the Venediger about a Charmer.”
“Oh no, you don’t. Not with those red dragons just waiting to pounce on you.”
He stiffened. “You do not think I can handle a few red dragons?”
“I know you can. I’ve seen you do just that. I’ve also seen your almost-dead body washed up on a beach because the red dragons did something to you—what, exactly, did they do?”
“It matters not,” he said dismissively. “I am not a child to cower behind doors. I have been attacked many times in the past and survived. I will not let fear of what might be keep me from that which must be done.”
“It’s always amusing when you talk like something out of a Tolkien book, but as entertaining as that is, I’m more concerned with keeping you in one piece. Besides, if the red baddies catch you and take you to hell—”
“Abaddon,” Kostya and Jim said in unison, the latter having emerged from the bedroom with a sopping wet head.
“—then who am I going to get to save you? Evidently Drake isn’t inclined to help out without charging, and I have nothing with which to barter. Besides, I kind of want to see this Venediger person. After all, I faced the head honcho of Abaddon and she can’t be any worse than that.”
“Dunno, babe. Asmo was pretty bad. I think someone who’s even half as bad is still going to be dangerous,” Jim piped up, shaking himself so that the fur on his head stood out in spiky clumps. “Man alive, Slick. Next time just yell at me or something. You could have burnt my fabulous fur!”
After a moment of thought, Kostya gave a quick nod. “Very well. I will make some phone calls to rally the black dragons to Paris.”
“How many people do you have in your sept?” I couldn’t help but ask. The thought of Kostya leading a group of dragons to war had a heroic quality that I had to admit was highly enticing. I didn’t cherish the thought of violence, or the possibility of Kostya and his people being harmed, but it was undeniable that there was just something ruggedly masculine about the thought of a man who was willing to fight for what was important to him.
“Seven.”
“I think she’s coming, Aisling,” Jim said as he padded his way out of the kitchen. “Kostya set fire to my head. Dude seriously needs some anger management counseling. Hey, what time is lunch, ’cause Aoife didn’t give me much of a breffy, and I can’t maintain this level of gorgeousness on crumbs…”
Jim’s voice trailed off as he wandered back to the hall.
I admired Kostya’s thick eyelashes and handsome eyes and thought to myself that he really was the sexiest man I’d ever seen. “Really? For some reason, I assumed there were more dragons around than that. I mean, we must have seen at least ten red dragons. How many more of them are there?”
“Legions.” He was silent a moment, his jaw working; then he added, “The black dragons were almost entirely destroyed. A few escaped and went into hiding. We have only returned to the weyr recently.”
“Gotcha.” I patted him on the arm and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll leave you in peace to make your phone calls while I figure out how to give Jim back to Aisling. Let’s just hope it doesn’t involve me having to run him down again.”
I repeated that sentiment a minute later when I stood with Aisling, Rene, and Jim in the hall, while Drake leaned against the door frame watching silently. Rene dutifully passed that on to Aisling and Drake, and the former made a face and said something long that involved much hand waving.
Rene listened and nodded his head several times, then turned to me and said simply, “Aisling says no, do not run Jim over again.”
“All that for just no?” I asked.
Jim answered. “There was a lot about what she was going to do to Magoth when she got him in a soundproofed room and some references to knowing your heart is in the right place but not exactly trusting you with continued care of me, and then she said no, I couldn’t have a second breakfast because evidently there’s some vet who said I was fat. Me! As if!” Jim looked down at himself and waved a paw. “Like that’s even possible. I’m ninety percent fur and the rest is a lean, mean demon machine.”
“In your version of reality, maybe, but the rest of us see something different. All right, Rene, let’s get this shindig under way. What should I be doing first?”
The next half hour was filled with various flavors of frustration. For one, there was the whole language barrier thing—or rather, the curse creating the language barrier—and for another, Aisling kept insisting that the key to the situation was within my grasp.
“But I don’t know what I did that night,” I repeated for the third time when she—through Rene—told me that I had to recall what words I spoke to bind Jim to me in order to undo that, “much less what I said.”
“Aisling says that you must try harder.”
“That is so not helping. I’m trying as hard as I can.”
“I guess I’d better get used to being bound to you,” Jim said, rolling over onto his back. “Belly scritches?”
“Jim!” I said loudly as Aisling squawked and waved her hands at him. “No one wants to see that. I’ll scratch your belly later, but right now, I have to figure out what I said that stuck me with you.”
“Stuck.” He sniffed. “More like granted you the extreme pleasure.”
“Roll over onto your side, you deranged demon.” I waited until he did so before shaking my head at Rene. “Tell Aisling that I’m sorry, but I just don’t remember what I said that could have bound a demon to me. We’re going to have to find another way to unhook Jim.”
He repeated the words to Aisling. She answered, and Rene translated simultaneously. “She says you are not considering… What is that? Ah, yes. All the possibilities. You must consider all the possibilities.”
I just stared at him.
“She says that you must open—Are you sure that is the word? It makes no sense, though. Ah? Very well. She says you must open the little door in your brain.” He tapped his head. “The one that makes you see things.”
“Okay, I don’t…” I paused and shook my head. “You know, I went to the nuthouse because of what I thought I saw, so I’m not sure that I’m the best person to be saying that to, although now, of course, I know that I saw exactly what I thought I saw. A door, huh?”
“That is what she said, although myself, I do not see it.” He shrugged. “But Aisling is quite firm that is what you must do.”
I sighed but closed my eyes and envisioned a door in my head opening. It didn’t do much for me other than make me want to giggle.
“Nothing?” Rene asked, his face hopeful.
I shook my head. “Sorry.”
“My wife,” he said slowly, giving me a look of consideration, “she
does the yoga in order to remain supple, you know? The teachers also do meditation, which my wife has sometimes tried, and she said that it once helped her remember where she put the car keys. Perhaps it could help you? It is worth a try, yes?”
“Yes,” I agreed somewhat hesitantly. “It’s better than wanting to beat my head against the wall. I’ve never meditated, though. Dr. Barlind didn’t approve, saying it had too much of a New Age smell to it. What do I do?”
Ten minutes later I was sitting on the floor with my legs crossed, palms upturned on my knees, and Jim snoring next to me. “Om,” I said. “Zen. I am Zen. I am the om. Hare hare, hallelujah.”
“Now you must think back to that night. Aisling says that opening the door in your head is important, so you must add that as well. But mostly, relax, and allow the memories to return.”
“I’ll try,” I said, more than a little doubtful, but I kept those thoughts to myself. It took me a little bit to slow down the mad rush of thoughts, but after about ten minutes, I found myself slumped against the wall, the morning sun warming me and the gentle rhythm of Jim’s snores soothing my frazzled nerves. I sank into a form of reverie that Dr. Barlind said was a crutch and to be avoided on the path to emotional stability. I disregarded that and tried to let the memories wash over me.
Little fragments of memory started flitting through my mind, bouncing off each other and repeating in a seemingly endless loop.
At least you’re not dead. That’s the important thing. At least you’re not dead. Damn, houses here can be a mile or more apart. Looks like you’re my responsibility now. Ack, don’t howl again! I’ll take care of you, I promise…
I sat up straight, my eyes snapping open as those last few phrases drifted past my awareness. You’re my responsibility now. I’ll take care of you, I promise. I looked up at Rene. “That must be it. I promised to take care of Jim.”
“Ah, yes, that sounds very much like a binding. Let me tell Aisling.”
I shook Jim’s shoulder and got to my feet while he was doing so. “Ask her how I go about reversing it. Do I just tell him I’m not going to take care of him anymore?”
“Huh? What?” Jim looked hurt. “You woke me up to tell me that you and Daddy don’t love me anymore?”
“Kostya would do more than set your head on fire if he heard you call him Daddy,” I told the demon, turning when Rene, listening intently to Aisling, nodded and then came over to Jim and me.
“She says that is the binding. You must disclaim responsibility for Jim and tell it that you will no longer take care of it and that you release it from whence it came.”
“Hey, now!” Jim protested. “I thought you were going to switch me over to the nice-smelling Aisling, not just throw me back in the demonic fish pond!”
“Rene?” I asked, worried now.
Aisling was talking, striding over to us, her hands gesturing as she spoke.
“Oh, good,” Jim said, then nudged my hand with his nose. “She says she’ll summon me as soon as you release me. She also said that Suzanne is a great cook and that she has a liver recipe that I evidently used to love. So if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me go so I can have some liver.”
I patted the demon on his head. “I’m so glad to know you won’t miss me.”
“I didn’t say that.” He gave me a wink and bumped my thigh. “But you gotta admit that a good cook who is willing to make me liver stacked up against you and Slick is going to be no contest.”
I laughed and bent down to hug him. “True, but I’ll still miss having to be responsible for you. Kind of. I won’t miss the potty walks. Are you ready?”
He sat and nodded. “Yeah. Unbind me, baby!”
“Jim, I absolve myself of responsibility for you. I will no longer take care of you and protect you and take you for walkies. I won’t rescue you from Kostya when you annoy him, and I won’t change you into a human again, even though you weren’t bad-looking once you got past the part where you were stark naked. I release you back to the demon holding area and disclaim any and all ties and binds thereto.”
Jim opened his mouth to say something but suddenly disappeared in a wisp of black smoke.
Aisling clapped her hands and cheered, then immediately began drawing a circle on the ground and doing some sort of ceremony where she faced in four different directions.
“Ah,” Rene said, moving over to stand next to me as we watched her. “She is calling the quarters. It is exciting this, no?”
“Very.” I took a look over my shoulder but saw no sign of Kostya in the kitchen. He must’ve still been making his phone calls. “While she’s doing that, can you help me with Drake?”
“But of course.”
We skirted Aisling’s circle and went over to where Drake was keeping guard from the depths of his doorway. “Please tell him that I know Kostya promised him a certain something I have in my possession for rescuing me, but we’ve changed our minds, and now he can’t have it.”
Rene gave me a curious look but repeated the words.
Drake stopped leaning against the door and frowned at me. I wanted to smile at the frown—it was nearly identical to Kostya’s.
“He says that is not acceptable, and that Kostya agreed to a price, and that you must uphold that agreement.”
“Cow cookies,” I said calmly. “Tell him that instead of the item in question, I’m giving him Jim.”
Drake sputtered and spoke quickly, quite obviously arguing the point. I held up my hand and said simply, “He can’t have what Kostya said he could have. End of story. And if Drake wants to get snotty about it, then he can’t come to the wedding.”
A twinkle appeared in Rene’s eyes as he dutifully repeated my words.
Drake was about to protest, but he checked himself and repeated one word.
“Married?” Rene translated.
“Yup.” I smiled at Drake. “I’m going to marry Kostya just as soon as this business with the red dragons is taken care of.”
An odd look passed over Drake’s face, part amusement and part something that looked a whole lot like pity.
“Hey!” I said, pointing at his face. “I can only hope I’m reading that expression incorrectly, because otherwise, I might have to deck you, and that would be a shame. I want us all to get along. So you can start with the congratulations and the acceptance of Jim as your fee for helping get me out of hell—”
“Abaddon,” came a familiar voice. We turned to see Jim standing in the circle, tongue lolling and tail wagging.
“So get with the program and stop being a dick,” I finished up, following which I surprised myself and Drake by leaning forward and hugging him.
“Heya,” Jim said, sitting and eyeing Aisling. “You know, you’re right. This does feel different. Comfortable, almost. You’re not going to order me to do stuff like Aoife did, are you? ’Cause she was always, ‘Effrijim, do this,’ and, ‘Effrijim, be a naked man that,’ and I tell you, a demon can only take so much. Besides, she never fed me as I should be fed. When will Suzanne be making me the liver, and can I get some fried onion straws with that?”
Rene and I looked at each other. “All is well with the world,” he said.
I laughed. “At least he’s no longer my problem. I’ve got enough going on to be thankful Jim is back where he belongs. I don’t suppose you happen to know of any Charmers who are hanging around Paris, do you?”
“A Charmer?” he thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No, but I am not very conversant with who is in town. You would do better to speak with the Venediger.”
“Kostya’s planning on doing that. I just thought you might know of someone. Where is the Venediger? Does she have some… I dunno… big palace or something?”
“No, she has G&T.”
I looked askance at him. “A gin and tonic?”
“No, no,” he laughed, waving a hand. “Goety and Theurgy. It is the bar in Paris, the center of all things Otherworld, and the business belonging to the Venedig
er. Aisling owned it at one point, when she was acting Venediger, but she did not seek that job and passed it on to the current Venediger.”
“Gotcha. I’ll go tell Kostya and see if he’s done gathering his people.” I looked over to where Drake was now standing with Aisling while Jim announced that he had to pee. Aisling looked pleased as punch. Drake looked a little weary, and Jim… I felt a little pang of sadness at the thought that Jim was no longer my problem, but the truth was that he was where he should be.
Without another word, I left them to their reunion and returned to my room to tell Kostya about the proceedings.
“I told Drake he couldn’t come to the wedding unless he backed down with regards to his demand for the ring,” I finished, watching Kostya as he typed on a small laptop. I wanted badly to sit on his lap, run my fingers through that silky black hair, and kiss the tongue right out of his mouth.
“My brother will not be moved by a human convention like marriage,” he said without even glancing at me. “If he allowed you to substitute Jim for the ring, it is because he values Aisling’s desires more than his own. He has always been foolish that way.”
“So not the thing to say to the woman who is the breath in your lungs and the sun in your sky,” I said, pinching his arm.
To my delight, he shot me a fast grin that was full of humor. I settled down beside him, feeling happier than I had in… well, ever. “I was thinking about the ring now that I’ve told Drake he can’t have it. What if I’m wrong? What if, despite the curse, the ring did like Drake?”
“It is doubtful. It does not simply hop from individual to individual. It has chosen you for a reason, and until you have fulfilled that purpose, it is unlikely to allow itself to be given to another.” He closed the laptop and stood up. “We must hope the Charmer is that person, or we will all be in trouble. Now we must go to the G&T.”
“You know about that place, huh? How fancy is it? I mean, I know it’s a nightclub and we’re in the middle of a day, so it shouldn’t be open, but is it a really nice place? Should I try on that dress that Suzanne said I could wear if I needed to? I hate to, because I already had to confiscate this nice linen tunic and pants after you shredded my clothes, but I also don’t want to stand out.”