“As you wish,” Mason said. “I’m going to tan.”
Kevin walked with her partway. “The boy doesn’t mean any harm.”
“I know. He certainly has kept my mind off of things.”
“I’m going to go to the marina and wait for the boat,” Kevin told her.
“If they’re late, there are a few nice bars around there…”
“You and I are of one mind,” Kevin said and left her.
Mia rounded the corner and was awed by the roses. She bent down to take in the scent, but all she could smell was Frankincense. She stood up and turned slowly.
Abigor was behind her. He looked like a hero on one of Mike’s romance paperbacks, his long hair blowing in the breeze, his shirt open, and his black eyes sparkling.
Mia put her hand on her chest and said, “I will never get used to how handsome you are.”
“Nor I with your ever-changing beauty,” he said.
“I didn’t think I was going to see you again,” she said.
“I have a few questions to ask you. Let me in your mind house.”
“Before you do. Here…” Mia said, unzipping her hoodie and lifting the gold chain off her neck. “I didn’t realize I still had it when I left,” she put it in his hands. “It came in handy, and I thought it was gone, but I got it back.”
“Tell me.”
“I used your page’s uniform to get aboard the Devil’s Pride. I wanted to buy Murphy but ended up… Honestly, you must have heard.”
“No.”
“I flirted with the captain, pretending I was going to buy the birdmen for you. Don’t be mad, I had to think on my feet. I thought I was buying corpses. I wanted to get them into the light so their souls could move on, but they were still alive. So anyway, I mesmerized the captain so I could get the keys to them. I did leave the necklace as payment along with my demon dagger.”
“What about Murphy?”
“He wasn’t interested in leaving.”
“But, Mia, you have the necklace? You just said you left it.”
“You put it together. I OOBed into the GSD. I thought you’d be wanting it back. I didn’t want you to hear about my disgrace,” Mia said, letting a tear fall.
“I knew you weren’t sleeping.”
“What?”
“I came to see you in the hospital. I heard that Murphy broke your heart. I knew it was impossible. You’re too strong.”
“I actually had a problem with my heart. It’s complicated, but I assure you it’s fixed. Can I say goodbye to Ted?”
“I’m sorry, am I missing something…”
“Aren’t you taking me in?”
“Why?”
“I have the necklace, and I understand there is a new captain of the Devil’s Pride.”
“No. Why punish someone for killing someone who’s already dead?”
“I never thought of it that way.”
“Why are you here?” Abigor asked.
“We’re doing a super PEEPs investigation to hide that Burt and Patrick are looking for treasure.”
Abigor’s lips twitched.
“Go ahead, laugh.”
“Mia, I wish things had been different.”
“You mean me not being created to kill you?”
“Yes, exactly. We could have had some fun.”
“I’m at a loss for words,” Mia said.
“Here, keep this,” Abigor said, draping the chain around Mia’s neck. “This is all the treasure you need.”
“Thank you,” Mia said. “Do you have to leave?”
“I left my horse with the draft horses. I don’t want him to impregnate one and dilute the breed.”
“Wait, before you go. How many children do you have?”
“None. I can’t give a woman a child. It’s part of the fall into Hell thing.”
“But you said…”
“I just wanted to get you into bed,” he confessed.
Mia shook her head but said, “It was an excellent line.”
“And you’ll think of me when you do have a baby girl. This way, I’ll always be in your mind.”
“What have I become?” Mia asked him.
“Something planned and unplanned. The council messed around with nature, but instead of creating a cold-hearted killer, they created an assassin with control, a beautiful creature with a way of seeing the good in us, even when we are at our worst. Mia, when you were a baby, you looked at me with such love. I would kill to see that again.”
“I think it’s your eyes that are the problem,” Mia said softly. “I know what you are, what you’ve done, and how dangerous I am to you, but there is such beauty in every one of your scales. You don’t have to produce this persona for me. Lift the film from your eyes and look into mine. What do you see?”
Abigor blinked, and Mia saw the eyes she awoke to that fateful night in the nursery. She saw the beautiful amber lights that danced flamelike in his irises. She reached for him.
Abigor stopped her. “I do this for you, Mia. You would never forgive yourself. Thank you. I’ll leave you now. Go on, hunt your ghosts, live a happy life. I’ll see you before the light takes one of us.”
Mia watched him resume his persona and turned and walked away.
“Who was that?” Mason asked, running up to her.
“One of the original bad boys.”
“How long have you known him?” Mason questioned.
“Since birth,” Mia said. “I just had to be reminded.”
“Come on, I’ll buy you an ice cream sundae.”
“You’re on,” Mia said, linking arms with the young man. “So why do you Callens want me dead? Should I be worried…”
~
The Devil’s Pride took advantage of the darkness of an emerging storm to move across the veil just east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
“Harley says that the quickest
