Cat Devon - The Entity Who Came for Christmas

“Who else is after Excalibur?” she asked.

“Who wouldn’t be?” he said. He had no intention of giving her unnecessary information. She was merely a means to an end.

Right. Like that turned out so well that last time you used her as a means to an end.

“All you have to do is cast a locator spell,” Simon said.

“It’s not that easy.”

“Are you saying you don’t know how to do a locator spell?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“You are.”

“Meaning what? That you won’t help me?”

“Meaning locator spells work best on finding a person. If it’s an item then you can’t cast a locator spell for something you don’t own.”

“Why not?”

“Because it goes against the laws of nature.”

“Bollocks. Don’t give me that.”

“I don’t make the rules.”

“But you can break them. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“If you once owned and then lost Excalibur then I might be able to help. Emphasis on the ‘might.’ Did you lose it?”

He had in a manner of speaking. If he’d gotten to Mordred sooner, then he could have saved Arthur, and Excalibur wouldn’t have been thrown to the Lady of the Lake, aka Morgan. “Yes,” he said.

All her attempts at using a locator spell failed except for the last one, which had minimal success. “It’s definitely in Chicago,” she said.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Not the North Side, not the South Side. Downtown Chicago. We need to look for a large collection of ice.” She appeared pale and swayed on her feet. “I’m feeling light-headed after all the magic I’ve performed. I’m done for tonight.”

Simon scooped her up and carried her to the huge bed at the opposite end of the loft. “Get some rest. We’ll start again tomorrow.”

Pru and Simon spent most of the next day checking various venues with no success. She’d tried several locator spells but again, no success. She did sense they were getting closer as they systematically made their way east, toward Lake Michigan, until they eventually reached the Millennium Park Ice Rink, which was closed and deserted. It was nearly eleven at night.

Pru stood still for a moment, struck by the illuminated beauty of Chicago’s world-famous skyline. The night air left a chill on her cheeks and the tip of her nose, but her goose bumps weren’t caused by the cold. “Talk about an outdoor rink with a view.”

“Stop sightseeing and start locating,” Simon ordered. “Stay focused.”

“I’m focusing,” she said.

Despite the fact that they were focused, or perhaps because of it, one second they were alone in the deserted ice rink and the next they were surrounded by vampires. They all wore black, no surprise there.

“I’m Lawrence, leader of the Gold Coast vamps. You’re trespassing,” the tallest one growled, flashing his fangs at them. He oozed wealth, power, and entitlement. His expressionless face reminded her of someone who had had Botox gone wrong. His eyes were entirely black, which was entirely creepy. “This is Gold Coast territory. You have no right to be here.”

“And you have no right hiring mercenary demons,” Simon said. “That’s why they turned to demon dust last night. Because they were hired help.”

“It was an experiment gone awry,” Lawrence said. “But that’s our business, not yours.” His look turned even more menacing. “You and your pet witch aren’t welcome here.”

“I have a license that says otherwise.” Simon’s voice was calm, but Pru knew him well enough to realize that beneath that unflappable surface, he was ready to strike out.

She wasn’t sure what she could do to help. She knew that Simon was a legendary fighter, but he was outnumbered twelve to one. Glancing down at her hand, she saw her amulet ring. Lifting the top, she revealed a tiny mirror and whispered the spell.

“Mirror, mirror, get us out of here.”

An instant later, she was back where she began much earlier that day. At Damon’s loft. But she was alone.

“What’s going on?” Damon demanded.

“Simon needs help. I left him surrounded by angry Gold Coast vamps.”

“Where?”

“The ice rink at Millennium Park.”

She’d barely spoken the last word when Damon was gone. Damn, vampires move freaky fast. The spell she’d recited only worked if the witch doing it was in immediate danger. Since she was back safe at the loft, she couldn’t use it.

She’d have to risk flying again. Witches were never intended to fly unlimited miles. At least modern witches weren’t. That’s why airplanes were invented.

She arrived at the ice rink in one piece, but it was close. She’d almost gotten beaned by the Bean, the famous sculpture in the park.

She expected to find Simon and Damon battling angry vampires with perhaps a few hired demons thrown into the mix. Instead she saw Simon and Damon high-fiving each other and the dozen vampires from the Gold Coast clan. She’d never seen vampires do that before, but she supposed it was better than ripping each other apart or tearing each other’s heads off.

Their laughter stopped the moment they saw her.

“What’s going on?” She tried to sound calm even though she wasn’t.

“Witches aren’t welcome,” the tall one said. What was his name again? Lawrence. Yeah, Lawrence the self-proclaimed leader and obvious witch hater. The snot.

“She’s with me,” Simon said.

“She was casting a locator spell. Do I need to remind you that any supernatural items in Gold Coast territory belong to our clan?” Lawrence said.

“In most cases, that’s true,” Simon agreed.

“But not in your case?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Perhaps if you told me what you’re looking for, we could help you find it,” Lawrence said.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, but not necessary,” Simon said. “I don’t need your help.”

“Yet you need the help of a witch?”

“I enjoy her company.”

“What about you, witch? Do you enjoy his company, too?” Lawrence said.

They were leering at her as if she was a camp follower. Or in their case, a vamp camp follower.

Simon reached out and pulled her close to him, shifting his hand to the back of her neck. “Of course she does.”

“Yet she deserted you at the first sign of trouble,” Lawrence pointed out.

Simon shrugged. “What can I say? You intimidated her.”

He gently squeezed his fingers on her nape, warning her to stay silent.

“So the poor little witch is afraid of the big bad vampire?”

They all laughed. Even Damon, who had been standing nearby but stayed out of the conversation.

Perhaps sensing that Pru was nearing the end of her rope, Simon said, “Are we done here?”

“For now,” Lawrence said. “It’s been informative meeting you, Simon. Safe travels.”

“Right back at ya,” Pru muttered under her breath.

The group of vampires disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared.

Pulling away from Simon, she turned to face him. “How dare you—”

He silenced her by putting his finger over her lips. “Not here.” Turning his attention to Damon, he said, “Shall we head on out?”

Damon nodded.

“Allow me.” Simon put his arms around Pru so that her body rested against his. He wrapped his trench coat around her as he went airborne. Since her face was buried in his neck she couldn’t see where they were going, and she didn’t like it. She sensed that he was able to move much faster than she could and that he could control the speed with which he moved. She also sensed that she wanted him. Wanted him bad. But couldn’t have him because she’d cursed him.