Gabe opened his mouth to ask about the sword, but Sophia touched his arm and shook her head. She wanted Ranger to talk.
“So ye think I’m gonnae do th’ villain monologue thing? Tell ye my plans, is that it?” He rubbed his face again. “Should be obvious to ye two, bein’ th’ smartlings ye are.”
“Trading us won’t save your life,” Sophia said.
He chuckled.
“Why didn’t you go home?” Gabe asked. “You could have, right? When you brought us here through that gate? Why didn’t you leave us behind and vanish?” He was selfish enough.
Ranger stood and looked back at the island. “I broke th’ Queen’s code,” he said. “Me an’ my two brothers, we left th’ stables durin’ th’ ruckus, an’ instead of respondin’ t’ th’ Queen’s call, we visited th’ King’s castle.” He rubbed his face again. “My brothers would do anythin’ I told ‘em to do.” He sniffed and snorted. “Not too bright, those two.”
“You’re the smart one,” Sophia said.
Gone was the defiance she’d had when she’d called him a moron back at the house, like she actually meant what she said. Ranger was the “smart one” in all this.
He laughed. “I’m th’ old one.” He looked Gabe over. “I’m gonnae give ye a boon, my intelligent young friend.”
Gabe raised his hands. “No deals!”
Ranger’s eyes narrowed. “A boon is freely given. If ye dinnae want it, that’s yer problem.” He nodded toward Sophia. “I’ll give it to Miss Ne’er-the-oracle over here instead.”
“We decline all gifts from the fae!” Gabe said. He didn’t want to come out of this owing a kelpie a favor. If they survived.
“There aren’t that many o’ us left.” Ranger ignored Gabe and tapped his chest. “Us kelpies. We… fell out o’ favor. Now we all live in th’ Queen’s stables.” He sighed. “No matter how any o’ us bluster about how we’re gonnae take yer lakes, we cannae. King’s orders.” He rubbed his forehead this time. “I hope the Queen shows my brothers mercy.” He looked down at Sophia as if asking her for confirmation.
“I’m not an oracle,” she said.
He rubbed the tip of his nose. “No, ye aren’t, are ye? But ye know who is.”
“Yes,” she said.
He nodded. “Tell her I tried.”
“I will.”
He nodded again. “Goin’ home isnae an option, nae when I’m wanted by th’ Royal Guard for crimes against the King. So I’m permanently on the lam, as they say.” He chuckled and waved at the universe. “Ye want the truth, eh?” He squatted next to Sophia again. “How important is the truth right now, Miss Ne’er-the-oracle?”
Slowly Sophia reached out, and just as slowly, she touched his face. “Maybe you are worthy.”
Ranger laughed. “My kind will ne’er again be allowed such power an’ ye ken that, Ne’er-the-oracle.”
Sophia shrugged.
Whooping echoed off the water and individual lights over the glow grew distinct.
A helicopter approached.
Ranger stood. He spun the sword around his wrist before sticking it into the sand. “The plan.” He winked at Gabe. “The vamps give me control o’ th’ fae side o’ th’ arrangements an’ I give them ye two as compensation. They stop feedin’ on my few remainin’ brothers an’ return to th’ old ways o’ feedin’ on only those we provide.” He inhaled, then exhaled slowly. “Vampires can fight amongst themselves all they want, but no more riskin’ Titania an’ Oberon.”
Sophia squeezed Gabe’s arm again.
Ranger looked down at Gabe as the copter approached and whipped up the air. “Now ye keep the young lady here while I talk to Mr. Clayton, understand? Ye’re mundanes. Dinnae run an’ cause th’ vamps t’ chase ye. They cannae help themselves when there’s prey.” He winked again. “Neither can I.”
The copter landed about a hundred feet down the beach and the door slid open. Two men jumped out—one wearing a huge cowboy hat, a suit, and cowboy boots with spurs, and the other dressed in all-black commando gear. A female vampire with huge balloon-like breasts, lips so red they were obvious from where Gabe and Sophia sat on the beach, huge fake-blonde hair, shoes with deadly-looking heels, and a glittery red sequin dress waited in the copter. She chewed gum, checked her spikey nails, and looked bored.
Ranger sniffed the air. He frowned. “That must have hurt,” he muttered. “Since I took her token.” Then he shrugged and walked toward the vampires.
He didn’t mean the weird female vampire in the copter. He hadn’t been looking at her.
Had the tall woman Gabe didn’t know, the one who’d reached for the van’s door handle, followed them? Had the elves? “Is Papa here?” he asked Sophia, even though there was no way Papa could have found them.
She grinned.
If Papa had followed, then other magicals were here.
Hopefully they’d get here before the vamps decided to have a snack.
Chapter 24
Ranger said something to the vampire in the big hat, then pointed at Gabe and Sophia. Big Hat nodded and shooed Commando in their direction.
Gabe pulled his sister to his side. If they ran, the vampire would catch and eat them for sure. If they stayed, the vampires would probably pass them around like a bowl of candy.
“Are they here, Sophia?” he whispered. “Are they coming?”
“Don’t talk to the vampire,” she said, and pushed away from his grip. Then she settled herself on the grass like she was about to talk to an Eternal One in a video game.
The bodyguard Commando vamp stopped about six feet from Gabe and Sophia. He stood with hands clasped in front of his groin the way all commandos stood, dressed head-to-toe in black tactical gear like he was an action movie star. Black glasses covered his eyes even though all they had out here was starlight. Black driving gloves covered his hands. His long-sleeved tactical t-shirt showed off his bodybuilder physique, but his pale, uncovered skin still glowed in the night air like someone had polished up a stick of chalk.
He
