The Wild Side: Urban Fantasy with an Erotic Edge by Mark L. Van Name Page B
Authors: Mark L. Van Name
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again.” The phone rang again. I didn’t even know how much power it would take to use a phone that had been turned off. “I think he got a taste of me.”
“Jesus, Maura, what have I gotten you into? I’m going to take a hammer to this thing!”
“No! If you do, we’ll never be able to find him.”
He looked at me. “Do you want to find him because of what he did to Carmen, or because of what you want him to do to you?”
“Neither. I want him stopped from doing this to some other girl. I’m not saying he didn’t get a hook into me, but he didn’t get me that badly.” I sincerely hoped I was telling the truth—unfortunately witches can’t smell their own lies.
Rocha shoved the phone into his pants pocket. “So how do we get him?”
“I don’t have a clue.” The phone rang again. “I vote for more research.”
While I went back to the Kith reference library, Rocha borrowed the computer and hit the web. By mutual agreement, we did our best to ignore the phone, which kept on ringing. An hour later, we had a selection of facts and theories about getting rid of incubi, and we ran down the list together.
“There’s exorcism,” Rocha said.
“Does the Church still do those? And even if they do, how would they manage it by phone?”
“Good point. That eliminates enchanted weapons and a unicorn’s horn, too.”
“So much for offense. Defense is no better. The only recommendations are for various ointments around the windows and doors to prevent the incubus from passing over them, but that wouldn’t work for a phone, either. Neither would putting my bed up on bricks.”
“Bricks?”
“Some incubi are known to be short. But if Alejandro can make a cell phone work when it’s turned off, he could probably handle a step ladder.”
“Nothing else?”
“Women are advised to stay chaste.”
Rocha made no comment, which was probably for the best.
I slammed the book shut. “I know you don’t want to have to wait for my family to get back, but I don’t think we have a choice.”
“You can’t contact them?”
“I don’t think so.” From previous years at the retreat, I knew they’d gone deep into the woods to form the circle and, as Ennis had warned me, had left all cell phones behind. Plus they’d probably set wards to keep themselves hidden. To get to them, I’d need to find a practitioner who was both powerful enough to track them down, and trustworthy enough for me to point in the right direction, and I didn’t know one who wasn’t already at the retreat.
“Okay, then we wait. And the phone comes with me.”
“Agreed, but you’ve got to keep it away from anyone female.”
“I’ve got a fireproof safe back at my house, and I’ll lock the thing up until I hear from you.”
“He’ll probably keep trying to call.”
“I’ll stuff the safe with a pillow to muffle the noise if I have to—I’m not going to answer it.”
“It’s a plan.” I walked him to the door, and was about to unlock it when somebody knocked on the glass from the outside. I peered through the blinds, and saw a teenaged girl in a Salem State hooded sweatshirt with a pierced nose and too much eyeliner. My guess was she was a wannabe practitioner, and since the store gets a nice share of its profits from wannabes, I opened the door and politely said, “Sorry, we’re closed.”
“It’s her,” she said.
“Excuse me?”
She went on. “Dark red hair, black T-shirt, and jeans. But no way she’s five seven.”
“She’s got an earpiece,” Rocha said. “She’s on the phone with him!”
The girl held up her phone, snapped a picture of me, and ran down the sidewalk.
“How did she find us?” I demanded.
“Carmen’s phone has GPS!” Rocha went out the door in pursuit, and the two of them were quickly out of sight.
“Shit!” I said, slamming the door shut. The bastard had tracked me down. While we’d been trying to find a way to get to him, he’d found a way to get to me.
I
“Jesus, Maura, what have I gotten you into? I’m going to take a hammer to this thing!”
“No! If you do, we’ll never be able to find him.”
He looked at me. “Do you want to find him because of what he did to Carmen, or because of what you want him to do to you?”
“Neither. I want him stopped from doing this to some other girl. I’m not saying he didn’t get a hook into me, but he didn’t get me that badly.” I sincerely hoped I was telling the truth—unfortunately witches can’t smell their own lies.
Rocha shoved the phone into his pants pocket. “So how do we get him?”
“I don’t have a clue.” The phone rang again. “I vote for more research.”
While I went back to the Kith reference library, Rocha borrowed the computer and hit the web. By mutual agreement, we did our best to ignore the phone, which kept on ringing. An hour later, we had a selection of facts and theories about getting rid of incubi, and we ran down the list together.
“There’s exorcism,” Rocha said.
“Does the Church still do those? And even if they do, how would they manage it by phone?”
“Good point. That eliminates enchanted weapons and a unicorn’s horn, too.”
“So much for offense. Defense is no better. The only recommendations are for various ointments around the windows and doors to prevent the incubus from passing over them, but that wouldn’t work for a phone, either. Neither would putting my bed up on bricks.”
“Bricks?”
“Some incubi are known to be short. But if Alejandro can make a cell phone work when it’s turned off, he could probably handle a step ladder.”
“Nothing else?”
“Women are advised to stay chaste.”
Rocha made no comment, which was probably for the best.
I slammed the book shut. “I know you don’t want to have to wait for my family to get back, but I don’t think we have a choice.”
“You can’t contact them?”
“I don’t think so.” From previous years at the retreat, I knew they’d gone deep into the woods to form the circle and, as Ennis had warned me, had left all cell phones behind. Plus they’d probably set wards to keep themselves hidden. To get to them, I’d need to find a practitioner who was both powerful enough to track them down, and trustworthy enough for me to point in the right direction, and I didn’t know one who wasn’t already at the retreat.
“Okay, then we wait. And the phone comes with me.”
“Agreed, but you’ve got to keep it away from anyone female.”
“I’ve got a fireproof safe back at my house, and I’ll lock the thing up until I hear from you.”
“He’ll probably keep trying to call.”
“I’ll stuff the safe with a pillow to muffle the noise if I have to—I’m not going to answer it.”
“It’s a plan.” I walked him to the door, and was about to unlock it when somebody knocked on the glass from the outside. I peered through the blinds, and saw a teenaged girl in a Salem State hooded sweatshirt with a pierced nose and too much eyeliner. My guess was she was a wannabe practitioner, and since the store gets a nice share of its profits from wannabes, I opened the door and politely said, “Sorry, we’re closed.”
“It’s her,” she said.
“Excuse me?”
She went on. “Dark red hair, black T-shirt, and jeans. But no way she’s five seven.”
“She’s got an earpiece,” Rocha said. “She’s on the phone with him!”
The girl held up her phone, snapped a picture of me, and ran down the sidewalk.
“How did she find us?” I demanded.
“Carmen’s phone has GPS!” Rocha went out the door in pursuit, and the two of them were quickly out of sight.
“Shit!” I said, slamming the door shut. The bastard had tracked me down. While we’d been trying to find a way to get to him, he’d found a way to get to me.
I
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