“No one can figure out why you’re bothering with school. You’ve got major magic.”
That earned him an eye roll. “I was running my ghost-busting agency into the ground. I didn’t know how to balance the books, or market effectively, and forget anything to do with payroll. Being a witch didn’t make me a businesswoman. Get real. I beat Geneva. So what? It’s not like I won the lottery and can retire. Life goes on.”
By then they were at the front of the line. Mac ordered a plain medium coffee, Holly a latte. They took their cups to a bright green table at the edge of the eating area. A scattering of crumbs on the pavement had attracted a flock of sparrows, and Mac had to walk carefully. They wanted the food more than they feared his feet.
Holly dumped her backpack and sat down. “So what do you want to talk about?”
“The demon thing,” he started, but then stalled. It was going to be hard to put everything into words.
“What about it?”
He caught his breath and plunged in. “After you zapped me, I’ve been eating like a human.”
“How long has it been?”
“I got out of the Castle about six months ago.”
Her brow furrowed in surprise. “You’ve been back here all that time?”
“No.” Mac smiled briefly. “I took a detour.”
The corner of Holly’s mouth turned up. “Is there a punch line to that?”
“Well, I got out of the Castle the first time by sheer accident. There were these New Agers in Sedona trying to summon an angel. They thought they were making a portal into the hereafter. They got me instead, poor bastards.”
Holly gave a startled whoop of laughter.
Mac chuckled. “Anyway, to give them their due, these folks were terrific. I was a wreck, after everything that happened, everything I’d done. They let me stay with them out in the desert—and I mean literally just sit and look at the earth and sky—for as long as it took to put myself back together.”
“So their angel had guardian angels of his own.”
“Yeah, though I never did bond with the whole vegan idea. If that’s heavenly food, I’m not pure enough yet to appreciate it. Anyway, I came back here about a month ago. I’ve been laying low, just picking up the pieces.” He paused. “Quite a few of them are broken beyond repair.”
Holly looked down at her hot pink travel mug, picking at the rubber grip. “You got a raw deal, Mac.”
“Yeah, and it’s going south on me again.” She looked up. “Alessandro said. The demon’s still in you.”
Damn Caravelli. “I have to stop it. I seem to be getting some of those demon-type powers back. And it’s odd. It feels different this time.”
One of the sparrows hopped onto the table, but Holly ignored it. She was staring at Mac. “How do you mean, different?”
“Not too bad. Not painful. Kind of hyped. It started up when I was in the Castle again.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Tell me exactly what happened last night.”
He did. There was no point in leaving anything out. He had no idea which details might be important.
As he talked, the clouds started to thin, allowing a wash of weak sunlight to dapple the trees and buildings. More busloads of students arrived, and the crowds began to increase. The coffee area was getting noisy.
When he finished, Holly set her coffee mug down, a faint smile in her large green eyes. “So do you know anything more about this vampiress?”
Holly’s too-interested expression made him sit very still, just so he didn’t squirm. “No. Not a thing.” Only that thinking about her makes me crazy.
“Your ears are turning red. She was pretty, I take it?”
His reply shot out more gruffly than he intended. “Yeah, well, I think I might have just been the meal ticket without the ticket part. She damn near ripped out my throat. Okay, an exaggeration, but I’m just saying...”
“She roused strong emotions, which led to exercising your demon powers in a major way.”
Mac nodded, unable to meet her eyes. They had reached the heart of the matter. “I always knew there were traces of the demon left in me. I’ve been a bit stronger, a bit faster all along, but I’d been controlling myself just fine for six months. Then suddenly I could dematerialize. What happened?”
Holly sat back, clearly pondering what he’d said. “The Castle is supposed to neuter magical creatures, not create them.”
“Can we use a different word than ‘neuter’?”
“All right. The Castle’s magic mutes things. Desires. Special abilities.”
“Yeah, and that’s the weird part. Why did it jump-start this latest episode?” If the Castle was supposed to stop appetites—including lust—then why did Constance put his inner caveman on red alert?
Holly wasn’t listening, but sat tapping her thumbnail against her bottom teeth. “And yet, I found a room in there once—a beautiful, amazing place. It was like a bedchamber, but much larger, with a waterfall and fireplace and tapestries.”
She looked up, flushing. “Neither magic nor desires were dampened in there. The Castle isn’t consistent. It was built by magic, like my house. It may have enough sentience to create what it needs.”
He sat back, his mood clenching like a fist. “Then it’s too bad I can’t walk up and ask who ordered the fully functional demon.”
“What did you have for breakfast?” she asked abruptly.
Mac blinked. “Cereal.”
“Was it good?”
“Uh—yeah, I guess so.”
Holly spread her hands. “You’re not a fully functioning demon. If you were, you’d be eating everything in sight on the way to chowing down on somebody’s soul. I remember how you were. You were obsessed with eating. It was incredibly scary.”
“So? I’m still hungry. The desire to drink life never went away.” He tugged at his cuffs, embarrassment making him irritable. He was getting hot. His coat felt tight in the arms. Damned dry cleaners.
“But you don’t have to.”
“No, thank God.”
“So this time is different. I don’t know why.”
“Then how can I fix it?”
“I didn’t say I was giving up. You deserve a chance.”
Not a ringing endorsement, but he’d take it. “You really think it’s something to do with the Castle?”
“If you were holding steady for six months, it’s the only new variable in the equation.”
Mac waved a hand. “Great. The cause of my latest medical crisis is an alternate dimension.”
Holly grimaced. “Try being in charge of the entrance to the damned thing.”
Mac nearly spilled his coffee. “You’re in charge of the portal?” As he said that, he realized it kind of made sense. She’d made it. She was the only one with enough power to do anything with it. “So then why are the hellhounds always hanging around?”
“I’m supposed to be the guardian, but I’m in school. I can’t watch it twenty-four/seven.”
“So you hired them?”
“They were big and tough and unemployed. Alessandro hired them to help him do his law and order thing.”
“I’d get his money back. They’re useless.” Up until the part where they kicked my ass and threw me inside.
Holly sighed. “Yeah, well, the X-Men were busy. The hounds are what we have.”
“Uh-huh.” Mac noticed again how tired she looked. “Do you want another coffee?”
“No, I’ve hardly made a dent in this one.”
“Something to eat?”
“Ugh. No.” She made a face.
“Not a breakfast person?”
“Definitely not. And I’ve got to get to class.” She touched his arm lightly. “Are you at the same phone number?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve got to go. I’ll see what I can find out and call you. Um, probably best if...”