Ravenous

Chapter 11

When well-meaning people say romantic train wrecks will look better in the morning, they lie. Ben was gone, and so was the future Holly had planned with him.

She turned off the shower and groped for a towel. Blotting her face dry, Holly looked in the mirror. She looked drawn, her eyes puffy from crying in her sleep. It was bad enough feeling like something scraped from the back of the vegetable crisper; she hated looking the part as well.

There was nothing she could do. Someday she would meet a man who didn't mind a little witch in his woman. Or a lot of witch. With a giant demon mouse stalking her. So the demon problem is a buzz kill. We all have flaws. In defiance, she dressed in a skintight scarlet sweater that used to drive Ben wild.

Used to. She repeated it several times, trying to get accustomed to the past tense.

Reality waited outside the bedroom door, but it was kinder than she expected. The smell of fresh coffee, warm and bittersweet, hung in the air. Coffee? Is Alessandro still here?

"Hello?" Holly called as she walked into the kitchen.

Curled up by his food dish like a fat, tabby basketball, Kibs meowed a greeting. There were still scraps of food in the bowl, a telltale sign that he had conned breakfast out of Alessandro. She looked around. The coffeemaker hissed as condensing steam dripped onto the hot plate. The sound was as comforting as lambskin slippers, but she was clearly alone.

Of course. It was daylight. Vampires were tucked safely in their beds. She got a mug from the cupboard and poured a hit of caffeine. A note was propped against the toaster. Steam rose from the mug, ghosting before the slanting letters.

6:30 a.m. All clear, quiet night,

I will call you at dusk. Stay safe.

Alessandro had stayed until nearly dawn. As he had promised, he'd watched over her through the night. A twinge grew in Holly's chest, a mixture of gratitude and sadness. He deserved more than she could ever give him. Holly set the note down slowly.

Stay safe. How was she going to swing that?

Picking up the cordless phone, Holly grabbed a coat and took her coffee onto the back deck. She stood awhile, leaning on the wide railing and feeling the comforting presence of the house and yard.

Spiderwebs shone like a scatter of silver thread. Still rolling in from the sea, the fog hid the fence, blurring the pine trees with smudges of gray. Marigolds burned like sudden fires. Familiarity didn't make the scene any less beautiful. It was part of her, where she drew her strength. She could never give up her house. Never, ever.

Holly propped her chin in her hand. Kibs came out and leaped onto the deck railing, curling up near her elbow. Fuzzy comfort. She sipped the coffee, holding it on her tongue a moment before swallowing. It tasted stale from sitting too long, but Alessandro had made it strong, the way she liked it.

Stay safe. Good advice, if a little short on detail. Ultimately she had to take responsibility for her own safety. Alessandro could do only so much. Besides, Holly had her own weapon—magic. Pain or no pain, it was up to her to take care of business. No excuses.

However, self-reliance did not exclude asking for advice from someone who'd bagged her share of monsters. She thumbed one of the speed dials on the phone.

"Hey, Grandma," she said.

"Holly, is that you?" Grandma's voice was rough with decades of chain smoking, a vice she saw no point in giving up at this late date. After two hip replacements, she wasn't going to be running any marathons, anyway.

"Yeah, it's me. I need your sage advice. Can I bribe you with a treat from the Harvest Sheaf?"

"Maybe. What's the problem?"

"Demons. I need to spruce up the house's defenses. A lot."

"How much is a lot?" Suspicion and alarm crackled out of the receiver.

Holly gripped her cup. "Mega a lot. I need to work some serious protection spells."

"What happened?"

"It's too long to explain over the phone. Can I come over?"

There was a long pause. "Like that, eh? Bring cinnamon rolls." Holly heard the flick of Grandma's lighter and a quick breath as she lit another cigarette. "Double frosting. Wisdom of the ancients doesn't come cheap."

For a supervised care facility, the Golden Swans was nice, and Grandma liked having her own space. She had lived in the Carver house while Holly grew up, and that was long enough for both of them. Grandma deplored Holly's lackadaisical housekeeping, and Holly hated her grandmother's smoking.

Holly took the elevator to the east tower, where the semi-independent-living apartments were grouped around the common rooms. When she got to Grandma's door, she picked up the daily paper where it had been left outside, bundled with an elastic band.

"Grandma?" She opened the door and poked her head in. "Hello?" Her eyes scanned the pin-neat interior.

"Come on in."

Holly entered, blinking a little from the cigarette fog. Grandma was in the kitchen, carefully spooning loose tea into a teapot. Her hair was pulled back in a long gray ponytail, showing off the strong bones of her face. Once plump, she had thinned down to a healthy weight but still gave the impression of solidity. She was dressed in a blue fleece ensemble with a sparkly gargoyle across the front.

Holly kissed her cheek. "Hey, there, Grandma."

"Demon trouble, eh?" she asked, eyeing the cinnamon buns as Holly set them out on plates.

"It followed me home, but I don't want to keep it."

The kettle clicked off. Holly poured boiling water into the teapot and carried it to the table. She filled Grandma in on the events of the last few days, ending with the mouse. "Why is there suddenly so much demon activity in Fairview?"

Grandma sat, hooking her canes, one to each side, on the tabletop. "Why not? Demons are all about manifesting on the earthly plane. For them, Earth is like Vegas, all entertainment, food, and fun. Fortunately, most of the time they can't get here. The demon realm is a prison, after all."

"A prison? I always thought of it as the demon home-world. Y'know. Hell."

"No, this isn't a place for mortal souls. No fiery pits. Look in the front of Anderson's Realms, on the top left-hand shelf of the bookcase behind you."

Holly turned, pulling out an oversized red volume that looked about a century old. This wasn't one of the books Holly had read. Of course, she'd never read even half the demon lore in her parents' library—apparently she needed to get right on that. "What am I looking for?"

"Look at the picture facing the title page."

Holly opened the cover, then lifted the thin sheet of onionskin covering the first illustration. It was a black-and-white etching, a snarl of shadows and torchlight and stone walls melting into a maze of tunnels. She could almost feel the cold, damp drafts rising off the page.

"Who knows how accurate that drawing is, but it fits every description given of the place. It's like a prison. A big dungeon. Some people call it the Castle." Grandma shrugged. "Not a very original name, but it was built long ago."

"By whom?"

"Human sorcerers."

Holly carefully turned the page. "Is there a picture of the outside?"

"There is no outside. The entire world is inside those halls."

Holly turned back to the illustration. It was like Escher meets Dracula. "Could use some throw cushions."

Grandma smiled, but her eyes were serious. "Demons come from our world originally. The prison was a means of banishing them. They can't get back here unless someone summons them."

"So every time a demon shows up, there's been a prison break?"

"Yup."

Holly took a large gulp of tea, trying to wrap her head around the idea of an entire prison dimension crammed with demons. A flippant corner of her brain thought of high school.

Grandma went on. "As to why this specific demon was summoned, we can't begin to answer that without a lot more information."

"Then let's cut to the chase. How do we send it back to the slammer?"

"First of all, we have to find it. A piddly demon would never have made it through the portal, so it has to have power. It will be a master demon, and that means it can shape-shift. It won't look like a mouse anymore."

That has its pros and cons, thought Holly. She never wanted to see that mouse again.

Grandma took a sip of tea. "A very powerful demon appears human. You can't tell the difference just by looking. You can't even tell the difference sharing magic. Only deep Sight will reveal its true nature."

"Human?" Holly was surprised. "Any demon I ever saw looked like a dark, dirty cloud."

"That's a demon's weakest form. Human form is hardest. In between, they can assume an animal shape. Usually snakes or rats—they like the ick factor." She paused, pursing her lips. "Anyway, nothing less than major spellcraft will work on a master. And you have to work fast, because the first thing it will do is make more servants on this side of the portal."

Holly had eaten a few mouthfuls of cinnamon bun, but now pushed the plate away. "How does the Turn—whatchamacallit—the Dark Larceny work?"

Grandma shook her head. "I don't know exactly." She paused, memory lighting her eyes. "I had an offer for it once. A very handsome man—well, I thought he was a man until I learned otherwise—promised me the moon and stars if I would just let him taste my soul." She smiled wryly as she spooned sugar into her tea. "A bad bargain, but he was extremely nice to look at."

"Oh, Grandma," Holly said in a teasing tone. She never knew how many of her grandmother's war stories to believe. Except… her story almost exactly mirrored what Alessandro had said about being Turned.

"Those were good days." Grandma gave a short, dry chuckle. "So, back to the immediate problem. If you're going to protect yourself from a demon, you have to think about where your routine takes you each day."

"Oh, crap." Holly smacked her forehead with the heel of her palm.

"What?"

"Tomorrow's the first day of classes. I can't go to school with a demon on the loose."

Grandma waved a dismissive hand. "Well, on the positive side, you're safer with others around. Demons prefer a sneak attack. A crowded campus is the perfect safety zone."

Holly shook her head. "I don't know. Demon hunting sounds pretty full-time."

"What do you want to do?"

"Well, I want to go to classes, of course. Everything's set to go." She felt a wave of unreasoning, frustrated stubbornness. "I want my business degree, for my sake and for the sake of the Three Sisters Agency. I'm tired of not knowing how to work smart. But once again life gets in the way of big plans."

Grandma sat up straighter. "Then go to classes."

"But—"

"We'll manage. You can't let a demon ruin your semester."

Doubt and disbelief vied for top billing. "How can I just show up for class?"

"There're protection spells. I have books of them. If you want school to work out, sweetheart, you have to go for it. Take some risks. Sometimes young people are too cautious."

"But protection spells can't be enough. There has to be something more we can do."

Grandma narrowed her eyes. "Such as?"

"Get rid of the demon for good. How do you kill a master?"

Grandma shook her head. "Witches aren't strong enough to kill them. For a permanent solution, you have to send the demon back where it came from and then seal the portal behind it."

Holly swallowed her tea the wrong way. "That sounds up close and personal."

"Yes." Grandma said the word quietly. It hung in the air in a gust of cigarette smoke. "But Elaine Carver, one of the original members of our Three Sisters Agency, did it back in 1885."

"I've heard about this," said Holly. "There was a war between a master demon and the vampires back then. The demon had gathered all kinds of followers."

"Including the Flanders family, which is interesting all on its own. Anyway, the story goes that Elaine opened a full-blown portal in the customs house right by the inner harbor. She sent the master demon and many of its servants packing."

"How'd she do it?"

"I don't know. I've never seen the spell. Can't be the one you want, though."

"Why not?"

"Killed her. Backwash of power was too much."

"Oh." That's a big help. Holly stood up and walked to the window. She had no idea what was outside. She was blinded by a stampede of thoughts and emotions, panic leading the herd.

Grandma cleared her throat. "As I said, protection is the way to go. As for something more than that… well, it's hard to find good demon hunters these days, but maybe there's someone we could call in."

Holly turned. "Good demon hunters all have waiting lists. There aren't enough witches left who could do it. The wait could be months, and this thing could have taken over half of Fairview by then."

"Better than you tangling with it. Magic shouldn't hurt you the way it does."

"Listen, that's no reason not to fight the demon. We can ward ourselves, but eventually someone's going to get hurt. I'll live with the pain if that means getting rid of the demon for good, and right now."

"Are you sure about that?" Grandma said, narrowing her eyes. "It's big-M magic. The biggest. It will be agony for you, and with some of these spells, failing in the middle is worse than never starting at all."

Holly's stomach did a slow roll of anxiety. "Strength isn't the issue. I beat the Flanders house. Besides, motivation is everything. The demon is standing between me and the quiet enjoyment of my calculus classes."

"You're sure you want to start down this road?"

The words came out on a shudder of breath. "I can do it I just need to know how."

There was a long pause. Holly looked away, afraid she would tear up. Fright? Pride? She wasn't sure what she was feeling. This wasn't a step she wanted to take, but there was no way around it.

"Then we'll work on booting this critter back to jail."

Grandma ground out her cigarette butt, her eyes lowered. "You are your mother's daughter, you know that?"

"Thanks," Holly said, suddenly feeling like a child again.

"There's got to be something in all the books and notes we've gathered up over the generations. If not, I know people to call for information. In the meantime, you can borrow O'Shaughnessy's Charms and Protections and beef up the guardian spell on the house. Keep out any more surprise guests. Book's on the bookcase, third row down. Have a look at chapter eight."

Holly pulled the book off the shelf. It was so old, the dark brown leather was flaking off the binding. "Hey, it's got pictures, too. Do you think some of these talismans would work?"

"Not the ultimate answer, but they'll be helpful until we figure out something more permanent. I could whip up a few this afternoon while you look after the house."

Grandma's expression was unexpectedly chipper, as if this were going to be the most fun she'd had in years. By Holly's calculation, it had probably been a decade since her grandmother had seen active service. Perhaps there was only so much canasta an old witch could take before she started jonesing for a dustup with the forces of darkness.

Stiffly, Grandma got to her feet and opened a drawer in the buffet where she stored her magical tools. She began pulling out vials of dried things, balls of twine, and feathers—the makings for charms and wearable spells. With arthritic hands she unwrapped a tiny white-handled sickle, caressing it like an old lover.

"Still sharp," she said, running her thumb against the blade, but she might have been speaking of herself as well.

"Would a talisman work for Alessandro?" Holly asked, laying the book open on the table and resuming her seat. "He's fighting the demon, too."

"Sure. So you're still working with him?"

"Yeah," Holly said, unable to stop heat from rising to her cheeks. Grandma knew very well that Alessandro was still in the picture. She was just fishing for information.

Grandma set the knife down carefully. "I like him, and I've known him from long before your mother was born, but I'd be careful. Vampires aren't like us."

"He's a good partner."

"Of course he is, but I know what it's like working with the vampires. The rush reminds me of that first whiff when I open a box of dark chocolates. There's so much sweet potential there, but also one helluva stomachache."

"Alessandro is not the bonbon in my life, dark chocolate or otherwise." A horrible idea slithered into Holly's imagination. "Alessandro wasn't your bonbon?"

"Heavens, no. I never once took off so much as a corner of the foil wrapping. I was in love with your grandfather, and that was that. I had the power to be immortal, but he was human, so I chose to be mortal as well. I gave up using the high magic that kept me young."

"Couldn't have been an easy decision." There's the understatement of the decade.

"Choices are easy if you know your own heart. I knew mine." Grandma gave a sly smile.

Holly's cell rang, which gave her an excuse to dodge that look. "Holly Carver."

"It's Conall Macmillan." The dark, strong voice was immediately recognizable.

"Detective. What can I do for you?" What now? He kept me at the crime scene for hours. What more could he possibly want to know?

"Something, um…" He stalled, sounding uncertain. "I'm wondering if you could answer some questions for me. I need some advice. Nothing related to the Flanders case."

Holly relaxed a little. "How can I help, Detective?"

He cleared his throat. "Call me Mac. Can we meet?"

Anxiety shot back up to the red zone. "Okay. Sure. Where?"

"Uh… look." There was another awkward pause. "This is more personal than anything else. I'm home today… Uh, can you come over? Coffee? I can cook if you want dinner. But if that doesn't work for you we can meet wherever you want. Soon, I hope."

That rambling didn't sound at all like the Detective Macmillan she had met. Personal? Dinner? What should she make of this?

"Um, I guess so," she replied. "Are policemen allowed to break bread with… what would I be—a subject matter expert?"

He gave a short laugh. "Sometimes they even let us go to places with real tablecloths. Listen, if you're okay with it, do you mind coming to my place? I wouldn't normally ask, but what I want to talk about is kind of private."

Uncertainty coagulated in Holly's stomach. "Okay. Where do you live?"

He gave her an address.

"How about eight thirty?" Holly asked. "I've got a few things to do that I can't put off."

"Then let me make you dinner. I'm a really good cook," he said. "You won't regret it."

She caught a note of unguarded enthusiasm. It was reassuring. "Sure. Why not?"

"Look, I appreciate this."

"You're welcome."

"Perfect. Later." He hung up.

Holly frowned at the phone, then set it down on the table. Not twenty-four hours since breaking up with Ben, she had an invite that sounded oddly datelike. A pang she couldn't name sliced through her. Guilt? Sorrow? Apprehension?

While she'd been talking, Grandma had opened the paper to read the headlines. "Another murder. They think it's a vampire doing the killing," she said, scanning the lead story. "How many is that so far this month?"

She passed Holly the newspaper section. She read quickly and then turned the page to scan a related article. A photo made her start. They'd caught Macmillan, all raincoat and wavy hair, in a candid shot outside the Flanders house. "Well, speak of the devil."

"Who's that?" Grandma asked.

"Detective Macmillan."

"You know him?"

"That was him on the phone."

Grandma looked slyly curious. "What's he like?"

Holly hesitated. "He's okay."

"You think he's cute," Grandma answered with an amused air.

"Do not." That was a lie. He was good-looking.

"What does Ben think of him?" she prodded.

Holly bit her lip.

"What's wrong?"

Holly sighed. As much as she wanted to avoid the Ben topic, the cat was out of the proverbial bag and already hair-balling on the carpet. "Ben and I broke up."

Grandma sat very still for a moment. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"He can't handle the witch thing."

"Idiot." Grandma tipped her ash. "I never liked him anyway. Where does this Detective Macmillan fit in?"

"He's invited me to dinner. Business." Holly set the paper on the table.

Grandma studied the picture and raised an eyebrow. Taking a long drag, she exhaled slowly and eyed Holly through the wreathing smoke. "Uh-huh. Wear something nice."