“Once you’ve killed Dedushka, bring me the motherfucker’s head.”
The clock radio by the sofa-the one that had previously been on my bedside table-said it was just after nine in the morning when we got back to the condo. There was no sign of Mrs. Dawson or the piskies. I assumed Honey and Jack were taking a little private time in the Enchanted Forest, and the ghost was wherever. Adan wanted to plan the Dedushka assassination, but I wasn’t up for anything except lying down. I needed sleep. If I didn’t get it, there was no way I’d be able to clip a spirit, rescue some dogs, save the world from a zombie apocalypse or even speak coherently.
Adan gave up the argument shortly after my ass hit the couch and it became obvious I wasn’t listening to him. I felt his weight settle on the other end of the sofa and I opened one eye. He tucked his hands behind his head and stretched out. One of his feet was touching mine. I wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t given up my bedroom to Mrs. Dawson. Would he have jumped in bed with me? Or would he be out here on the couch while I was in the bedroom? Did it matter? There was nothing you could do on a bed that you couldn’t do on a sofa. Whatever had happened at Oberon’s party had happened on a couch.
That had been pretty good, probably. Whatever it was. Adan was kind of a pain in the ass, but he really wasn’t so bad. He was real nice to look at-the changeling had copied him well-but he had a brain on him, too. He had juice, though I hadn’t decided if that made him more appealing or just a bigger pain. He had a good sense of humor when he wanted to…which wasn’t often enough, but he probably had a lot on his mind. He had a great smile. What was it about dimples, anyway? Why did just thinking about what amounted to dents in his face make me as frisky as a schoolgirl? And why was I asking myself all these stupid fucking questions?
Adan was a distraction. I was thirty-five years old. I was wise to his evil ways and immune to his charms. No way I’d let him work me over again, even if it hadn’t really been him the first time. I had better things to think about than some guy-like zombies, and ghosts and Russian spirits that lived in Malibu.
His foot was still touching mine. He shifted on the couch and it rubbed against my ankle. I hoped my feet didn’t smell.
Adan had me pinned to the teacher’s desk in my fifth grade homeroom when the alarm woke me. “Come on,” he said, “it’s almost three o’clock.” He was sitting on the edge of the sofa, tying his shoe. I sat up and shook the lascivious dream images out of my head.
“Three? I set the alarm for two.”
“You kept snoozing. You must have hit the button at least five times. I don’t think you even woke up. It was kind of freaky.”
“Yeah, I do that.” I hoped I hadn’t been talking in my sleep. Or making any noises. “You want a burrito? I’m cooking.” I got up and walked into the kitchen.
“Sure,” he said. “We can lay down a plan while we eat. You need some help?”
“No, I got this,” I said, taking two burritos out of the freezer and popping them in the microwave. Two minutes and forty-five seconds later, I set the paper plates and a couple beers on the coffee table. I sat back down on the couch and crossed my legs under me.
Adan looked at the burrito and then looked at me. “What?” I said around a mouthful of beans and cheese. “Eat it. It’s good for you.”
He took a tentative bite and made a face, then put the burrito back on his plate. “I don’t mean to be critical or anything,” he said, “but it’s cold inside.”
“Yeah, but other parts are hot as hell, so be careful.” I reached over and placed my index finger on his burrito. “Dance, Monkey, Dance,” I said, and flowed some juice. Refried beans began bubbling from the end.
“Dance, Monkey, Dance?”
“For the molecules,” I said, and shimmied my shoulders in a little dance move. “Try it.”
He bit into the burrito again and chewed hesitantly. Then he titled his head and nodded. “Not bad.”
We ate our burritos and drank our beers in a comfortable silence. I didn’t get to have breakfast very often with guys who slept over. Usually they beat a hasty retreat at the first opportunity, or else I chased them out. Adan crashing with me on the couch hadn’t been the usual kind of sleepover, but it was still nice. It made me feel almost human.
“So the vodyanoy’s house on Carbon Beach,” Adan said. “Do you know anything about it?”
So much for almost human. “Not really. They call it ‘Billionaire’s Beach’ on account of all the celebrities and rich folks that have houses there. In the real world, anyway. In the Between, who knows what it’s like.”
“It’s probably pretty close but we won’t really know until we scout it out.”
“The houses are all right down on the sand, and built really close together. Assuming it’s the same, Dedushka will be able to walk directly from his house onto the beach. There’s no seawall or anything.”
Adan nodded. “We’ll need to let him get well clear of the house before we make a move.”
“Right. We don’t want him retreating to the house if something goes sideways. The beach is wide-open, but confined. There are houses along one side and the ocean on the other.”
“Yeah, but that’s not an advantage. The ocean is a hard boundary for us, but not for the spirit.”
“I agree. We have to take him on the beach. If we let him into the water, the job’s over.”
“I’ve got the sniper rifle. I could take a position on the roof of a nearby house.”
“That’s what I had in mind when I asked for the rifle. By the way, can you actually use that thing? It’s pretty high-tech.” It wasn’t, really, even by early twentieth century standards, but it was a hell of a lot more sophisticated than Adan was used to.
“My father was giving me instruction before he left. Anyway, the rifle is a magical artifact and I have plenty of experience with those.”
“Okay, you and the rifle are backup, though.” Adan started to protest but I shook him off. “No, look, the spirit’s going to have bodyguards around him, so it might be tough to get a clean shot. More importantly, we don’t know what this guy can do. We don’t know how tough he is. If you shoot him and he doesn’t go down, it’s game over. He can be in the water in seconds.”
“You’re going to try to get close,” Adan said.
“That’s the only way to do it right.”
“What makes you think he’ll let you get close?”
“I’m feeling a lot better now that I got some sleep. I figure I’ll use my glamour.”
“Absolutely not, Domino. I know you’re stubborn but you’re not stupid. There’s too much on the line and you’re too important to risk your life playing with somebody else’s magic.”
I didn’t argue. I was secretly relieved. When I’d used the glamour to shapeshift, it had been worse than any pain I’d ever imagined possible, let alone experienced. It had felt wrong, like a cancer spreading through my body. I wasn’t looking for a chance to return to that place. If I had a choice, I’d never go there again.
“What then?” I said. “Maybe Honey can dust me. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just an invisibility glamour. Just enough to let me get close.”
“I’m sure she could, but like you said, we don’t know what this guy can do. What if he sniffs out the glamour? I don’t know for sure but I’ve heard some of the vodyanoy can.”
“Maybe you should ask the piskies,” Honey said. She and Jack flew in from the Enchanted Forest and landed on the coffee table.
“To answer your question, no, a vodyanoy probably can’t sniff out piskie glamour.”
“Cool,” I said, “then you can-”
“But it will sniff out you,” Honey finished. “He has a nose for human magic, Domino. Most of us from this side do. And remember, that’s all you are in the Between.”
“Damn it, how am I going to get close if he can smell me even if I’m invisible?”
“You have to let us do it,” Honey said.
“Us who?”
“Jack and me. We’re piskies. We don’t smell like you.”
“Thanks,” I said, “but no way. This is my job. I’m not putting you in it.”
Honey’s face flushed and she put her hands on her hips. “Domino, I fought beside Oberon upon Gastonbury Tor in the days before your people discovered gravity. Before our return to Arcadia, Jack was one of the King’s Knives.”
I looked at the piskie. “He’s about the right size, I guess.”
Honey threw up her hands. “The King’s Knives, Domino. Jack’s an assassin. He crossed into the lands
