Something huge stepped in my path, blocking me.
No, please. Not again.
I’d already faced down death more than once tonight. I saw it again in the eyes of Alan, the terracotta warrior. He stared at me, his flat gaze as cold as the clay that created him. Mrs. Costas’s terrible song had locked him in her grip.
I gasped, tried to dodge and run, but he nabbed me. Fighting the strength of the clay warrior was impossible, but I twisted, babbling Carter’s name, begging, praying he would hear me. He didn’t. The Talos could have challenged the clay automaton, and would have, but he was stalking about the field, also still under the Merrow’s spell, looking for more victims. He had no idea what was going on.
Under the Merrow’s power, the terracotta warrior swept me up and lifted me high in the air above his head. I was screaming at him to stop. The Merrow’s strange song grew louder, drowning out my voice. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for pain…
Something massive and fur-covered slammed into the clay warrior, knocking him off his feet. His knees buckled and he went down, taking me with him. I cried out as I tumbled, only to feel myself caught up in a pair of impossibly long, hairy arms and whisked from his grasp just before he landed on me and crushed me.
Then a shot rang out.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The reverberations of the gunshot lit up the night. Afterward, silence. Detective Ewing slowly lowered her weapon. A mix of feelings swarmed her as she stared at the prone body in front of her. As death took hold, the fins, tail, and scales vanished. A ripple passed over the body and she was no longer a mermaid creature, but a woman again. Candace didn’t feel guilty, exactly. Regretful, that it had come to this. Relief that it was finally over.
Or was it?
Even as she lowered her weapon, she swung about to check on Ellie. With the headshot, the Merrow’s song had died. As Candace had surmised, the spell over the Talos, across the field wreaking havoc among both shifter gangs, instantly dissipated. Candace saw him shake his head, trying to come back to himself.
A few feet away, Ellie was gasping for breath, whimpering. If Candace didn’t know any better, she’d have sworn some animal that looked an awful lot like Bigfoot had rushed the terracotta warrior, bowling it over before it could throw Ellie, kill her. That same animal now unfolded its long limbs and got to its feet, keeping Ellie within the circle of one arm while it faced down the terracotta warrior.
The death of the enchantress had changed everything. In a flash, the clay warrior was gone and an ordinary looking Chinese man stood there. He held up his hands in a non-threatening manner.
“Blake. We’re cool, right? I have nothing against you.”
In a trice, Bigfoot was gone and some lean, tall, scraggly middle-aged man stood there, holding onto Ellie with one hand, his other resting on the machete strapped to his leg.
“Get out of here, then, before I decide to find something against you.”
His leader was dead. The former terracotta warrior had no reason to stay. He nodded warily, retreated several steps, and vanished into the darkness.
Candace felt air leaving her lungs in a rush. Relief swarmed her as Ellie, bringing herself under control, stepped away from the strange man and faced him, disbelief on her features.
“Joab Blake? What—why? You came back? You—you saved me? Why? Why?”
This was interesting. Clearly, Candace had missed a story.
“Ah.” The grizzled man screwed up his face, abashed. “Wasn’t fair what Nosizwe did to you, girl. That’s not what I signed up for. Carter’s one thing—he can take care of himself. But you? I heard what happened down in the Pit. Heard about them kidnapping you at that fancy party and using you as bait to trap Carter. Thought to myself, whatever the hell was going on down here in Texas sure beat hiding out in the woods in Washington. Decided to hop a plane yesterday and come see for myself. After that, just a matter of tracking everyone down. I’ve been here awhile, watching, trying to decide if I wanted to get involved. Wasn’t really figuring on it until I saw Alan grab you.”
Ellie narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. “I don’t understand you,” she said. “Are you a good guy or a bad guy?”
The Bigfoot-shifter smirked. “Do any of us even know anymore?” He nodded towards the left. “Looks like things are quiet now, and your man’s coming. I’m gonna leave before he decides to pay me back for that strike in his hotel room. See you around, Ellie. Take care of yourself. Take care of Carter. You never know when I might show up again someday.”
He grinned and winked. Ellie didn’t return it, but she did pivot to watch the newcomer step away, fade into the night. However, her attention was quickly diverted by Ballis coming into view, almost running. He didn’t hesitate, catching his wife up against his chest, hugging her fiercely. Even as he held Ellie, he glanced over at Candace, meeting her gaze. He nodded his thanks, and she could see the honest gratitude in his eyes, even from across the distance.
Candace nodded back and looked down at Mrs. Costas. That was why she’d done it. She had no particular fondness for Carter Ballis, him being what he was, but she also wasn’t going to let him keep killing his own people while under the mermaid’s spell and having absolutely no idea what he was doing.
“You did the right thing.”
Candace flinched at the voice, but only because she was so wrapped up in the kill, the night’s drama, that she hadn’t been expecting him to still be here.
“Thanks. I think.” She turned around. Adeola, the cat shifter, stood there. “I thought she was your boss, though.”
“Not hardly. I was introduced to Nosizwe through my younger
