Under the Bridge (8 page)

The line vibrated with a growl. “And your
deal with the troll?”

Billy shrugged and searched through the
pantry for some chips. “It stands. I won’t seek him out, though. He
can find me if he wants to.” She winced at the idea of allowing him
here at her home, but better where she could see him. She had a
suspicion he could go where he pleased anyway, regardless of her
will.

“I’ll pay you.”

Ooh, Maura really was desperate. Billy
considered it for two seconds. It would be a way for Maura to
continue to control her, though. “Nope,” she drawled. “You can’t
buy me, Maura. Bye.” She clicked off the phone, saying aloud, “And
this concludes our discussion. Please don’t call back if you have
any further questions.” She wasn’t fool enough to think it was the
end of things, but that was how it had to be. She couldn’t expect
Maura to respect her if she kept lying down to expose the welcome
sign that seemed to be tattooed on her back. Maura could find
somewhere else to wipe her stilettos.

She frowned, though. She still didn’t trust
Ash. If only for her peace of mind, she would have to keep tabs on
him.

With a sigh, she set yesterday’s soup on the
stove and flicked on the news. She usually couldn’t stand the “All
Gloom and Doom Channel”, but she’d have to get over that. It would
probably be smart to keep a tab on the local body count, just in
case.

She was half done with her soup when movement
in the yard caught her eye. She stood with a frown, brushing her
hand over her dagger. A careful look outside, standing to the side
of the windows, didn’t reveal anything unusual, so she walked
silently to the door, carefully peering around the edge. She
gasped, and stepped onto the porch.

A white stag stood at the edge of the wood.
His head held proudly aloft, the fading evening light played in his
incredible, maze-like set of antlers. Silver, they gleamed with
unearthly light, casting a subtle glow on his coat and the meadow
flowers under his feet. He had so many prongs that silver birds had
come to roost in his horns.

Awed, she stood and stared. A creature like
him was pure fae, and should not be able to cross into the mundane
world. He shouldn’t be in her yard, a stone’s throw from her
Harley.

He looked at her then. Dark eyes scrutinized
her, far too intelligent for a mere beast. She wouldn’t have been
surprised if he’d talked.

After a moment, the stag looked away and
bounded into the woods, leaving a deep silence behind. It was not
until she heard the night insects that she realized how quiet it
had been.

Her stomach felt hollow, and Billy had the
sensation of having witnessed something impossibly wonderful. A
cold trickle on her cheek caught her by surprise, and she raised
her hand to discover a tear. She blinked at it, mystified. No
matter how lovely, it had still been just an animal.

Disturbed, she went in the house and snapped
off the TV, no longer in the mood to tolerate the news.

She tried calling Eyrnie that night, but he
was out with friends. Discouraged, she finally went to bed.

A cheeping noise woke her in the morning.
Thinking a bird was right outside her window, she ignored it as
long as she could, then flung the covers off.

A small, woven willow cage sat on the floor
under her window. She stared at it blurrily before moving closer to
investigate. Inside sat a pretty buff hen with a crested tail like
a glossy black fan. Her head was a slightly darker brown, and her
wing tips were dark brown edged in black. In the other half of the
cage sat a matching buff rooster, with a tail like a black feather
duster.

As she sat there, bewildered, the clutch of
eggs under the hen’s feathers began to rock. One by one, they
hatched. When it was over, half a dozen puffy little chicks cheeped
and tottered around their mother.

Billy was too stunned to even guess who had
done this. The perfect timing of the hatching, the incredible gift
of a mated pair of bantam chickens—complete with a burlap bag of
food! Most guys just left flowers. She wouldn’t have thought that
anyone knew her well enough to predict how she would love such a
gift.

She thought about what such a gift said. The
giver must be incredibly thoughtful. It was just such a cuddly
surprise, like receiving a warm hug.

The practical side of her reminded her that
it had to be a fae breaking into her house. She had locked up
carefully last night, setting the wards and double-checking them.
The gift wasn’t spooky, though. This felt like pure caring.

She watched the birds for a long time before
she made herself get dressed. Cute as they were, the chickens would
be more comfortable in the back yard. Nothing would bother them
there, and she would make certain they had food and water for the
day. In a few days they would have learned their territory, and she
would allow them to wander at will.

She ate a quick breakfast and got started on
a woven pen for the chickens. Since she could just ask the grass
and willows to weave together as she wished, it made for quick
work. In half an hour she had a roomy enclosure for the small
flock. Their eggs would make a welcome addition to the fridge.

She didn’t think about the stag until later
at work, when she was mindlessly unpacking a shipment of
houseplants for the gift shop. Her boss, Mrs. Snider, had been
thrilled to see her come in; she had chipped a tooth the night
before and wanted to see her dentist right away.

Billy knew that in
Arthurian legend, the White Stag was the signal that future
events were about to be revealed. She knew it as a fae creature
fond of luring hunters to a nasty end. It hadn’t seemed to be
luring her, however, but looking her over. It shouldn’t have been
there, though. Unless they toyed with mortals, such creatures only
showed up deep in fae territory. They couldn’t abide the mortal
realms for long.

A brownie showed up around noon to drop off
lunch for her. It wasn’t one of the house brownies—she’d been
noticing more of them here in the Flower Pot. As soon as she’d
noticed the little brown fae, she’d started leaving gifts of milk
and honey for them.

Normally nocturnal, the creatures had
responded by keeping aphids down, making certain all the plants
were watered, and feeding her when she forgot her lunch. She rarely
saw them come and go, but suddenly a warm plate of food would be
there at the counter, or a cup of juice with a sandwich and a
handful of berries.

She saw Eyrnie’s old truck pull into the lot
through the break room window. Figuring he’d come to demand why she
wasn’t in class, she finished her lunch. Sticking her head out the
“Employees Only” door, she motioned him inside. Might as well get
it over with.

As he got closer, she took in the expression
on his face and stilled. “Something is wrong.”

His face was a terrible mixture of old man
and carefully controlled anger. “Carrie is dead.”

Billy’s hand tightened on the doorframe as
her blood flooded down to her feet. Ah. She wouldn’t have expected
pain, not for Carrie.

Sucking in a deep breath, she let him in and
collapsed on a chair. “Dead?” she croaked. “How?”

He took a seat opposite, watching her
carefully. “It was messy. Her body was found by the lake early this
morning. There’s a were in the police department. He smelled fae at
the scene and made some calls. Her mom identified some jewelry
she’d loaned to Carrie. That’s how we know.”

She breathed deeply, trying to clear the
shock thundering in her head. “The troll. Ash.” She’d never really
thought he’d do it. It had felt as if…well, she’d been wrong.

Eyrnie hesitated. “I don’t know. Carrie
wasn’t well liked, but it looks bad.” He started to say something
else and stiffened. He stood up and looked out the window, his body
tensed for fast action.

Through her fog, Billy managed to look up.
Eyrnie wasn’t her only visitor.

Eyrnie intercepted Ash before he could enter
the break room, blocking the doorway with his body.

Ash laughed softly. “Ponyboy. No need. I
didn’t kill her.”

Billy drew a sharp breath. She couldn’t see
much through Eyrnie’s body. There didn’t seem to be enough starch
in her knees to get up, though.

“Why should I buy that?” Eyrnie said with
deadly calm. “It looks bad for you.”

The troll shrugged. “You’ve seen a troll
kill, Pony. We don’t leave bodies.” He snapped his teeth in
illustration.

“What would?” Billy said softly, and Ash
looked her way. He took in her state carefully before he spoke to
Eyrnie. “Will you move, or will I move you?”

They stared at each other. Like stone dogs,
neither willing to concede dominance.

That
got Billy moving. Growling softly
with the emotional pain, she yanked back on Eyrnie’s arm, weaker
than normal, though. She just couldn’t find her strength. He
shifted, and she got between them and pushed, one hand on each of
them. It felt like shifting the pyramid and the sphinx, and she
knew they were humoring her.

Once outside, she ran a hand through her hair
and paced two steps. Stopped. Faced Ash. “You didn’t kill her?” It
was a demand, and she searched his face carefully.

He didn’t seem upset. “No.”

She studied him before resuming her jerky
pacing. The wildness needed an outlet. “Who was it?”

Ash sighed. “I haven’t been to the crime
scene. I found out when the were policeman came to campus to
question me. He spent most of the time keeping her hysterical
mother from charging me.” His mouth twisted in a cynical smile,
which faded as he looked at Billy. “I’d actually thought you might
have tired of the girl.” He cocked his head, curious.

Billy paled. “I didn’t do it!”

Ash ignored Billy’s growl. “So I see.
Disappointing, but it leaves an interesting mystery. I assume
you’ll want to solve it.”

Eyrnie’s aggressive step forward was abruptly
checked as a familiar black BMW roared into the lot. It slid to a
stop, narrowly missing Eyrnie’s truck. Maura hopped out, dragging a
sword out of the car. Eyes wild, she charged Billy, disregarding
the men at her side.

Billy stepped back in reflex, but her heart
wasn’t in it. Guilt demanded a price, after all. At that moment,
she felt Maura had the right.

Her companions disagreed. Ash’s hand grabbed
Maura’s wrist like a lightning strike, yanking Maura’s sword high
over her head. The sword fell from her hand and clanged loudly on
the concrete. Outraged, she screamed like a cat and flung her free
hand out toward Billy, releasing a cloud of green pixie dust.

Eyrnie snatched Billy out of the way, saving
her from the fall of all but a few grains. Those few fell on her
pant leg, clung, and burned. Shouting in panic, Billy tried to
douse them, but she was in no shape to manage it. Finally she
shucked out of her jeans, kicking away the flaming remains. Even
through the pixie armor she wore, she could feel the sting of
heat.

Maura screamed again and tried to climb the
troll’s arm one-handed, biting and clawing as if she’d lost her
mind. He grimaced and held her away from his body like a
particularly loathsome bug. He didn’t look that tall in glamour,
but Maura’s feet didn’t touch the ground.

Billy took a deep breath. “Ash. Set her
down.”

He raised a brow, but allowed Maura’s feet to
touch the ground. When she kicked him for his pains, he growled,
low and deep. She subsided with a whimper.

Her cowardliness faded when she looked back
at Billy, though. “Killer! Oath breaker!” she shouted, vibrating in
fury. “You killed my daughter!”

Billy shook her head. “I didn’t—”

“Liar! You left her unprotected. My baby
would still be alive if you hadn’t abandoned her.”

“She wasn’t a baby,” Eyrnie reminded her.
“Carrie was old enough to know what she was doing, but you were
free to watch her if you’d wanted to.”

That sent Maura into a frenzy. “Shut up! Shut
up, you stupid jackass! She was my
child
.”

Billy didn’t have any experience with
grieving mothers, but she understood fury. While she wanted to
grovel, she seized on something Maura had said. “You don’t think
Ash did it, do you?” Didn’t Ash say she was trying to attack him
earlier? What had changed?

Maura looked at Ash as if really seeing him
for the first time. Her face twisted in contempt, and she yanked on
her arm. Obligingly, he let go, and she nearly fell over. Glaring,
she yanked her shirt down. “I saw how she died,” she said between
her teeth. “There wouldn’t be so much…blood…if he had eaten her.”
She closed her eyes, hands fisted as if trying to control her
anguish.

Billy took a step forward, wanting to comfort
her somehow.

Maura’s eyes snapped open, and she backed
away. “No! Don’t come near me, killer! You owe me a blood debt. I
want vengeance! I want you to
die
.” Her eyes glowed with
anger, but she didn’t try for the sword at Ash’s feet. She backed
to her car, staying a step away as Billy followed her.

Billy couldn’t stand it. “Maura…sister,” she
tried, wanting to do something to fix this, knowing there was
nothing. She could not bring Carrie back.

“I am no kin of yours! You’re dead to me,”
Maura choked as she got into her car.

They watched her drive away. “She probably
shouldn’t be driving,” Eyrnie said at last.

Billy shot him a look of disbelief.

He held up his hands. “I’m just saying.” He
glanced at her bottom half and slid out of his long-sleeved shirt.
“You might want to cover up your spandex, there. It’s not covering
much.”

She glanced down at the pink undies overlaid
by lacy armor and quickly tied the shirt around her waist.
Yikes!

“She’s a pixie. Nakedness shouldn’t bother
her. Besides, I’m not sure that’s an improvement,” Ash pointed out,
amused. He eyed the shirtsleeves dangling like a loincloth before
her.