AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, I have my own.”
Her lip curled. “I am not riding in that contraption you call a truck.”
“We’ll take the motorcycle.”
Her face brightened. “I do enjoy a ride on a motorized stallion. Almost as thrilling as the real thing.”
Five minutes later, Matilda and I were cruising to the house on Thoreau Street on the back of my motorcycle. The Celtic crone wore a pink helmet that I’d bought at a yard sale for a dollar.
I parked the bike a block away so we could quietly assess the house before entering. If The Corporation wanted to retrieve something and wipe away any traces of it, then Solomon had likely done that and was long gone. If his role was to replace Bruce and continue The Corporation’s use of the house, however…
“Matilda, I think you’re going to get your wish from the djinn,” I whispered as we approached the house.
“You think he’s still in residence?”
At the back of the house, I noticed a light through the kitchen window. “Yes, I do.”
“Then it’s your lucky day, cariad.”
“You and I have very different definitions of the word lucky.”
“You take the back door,” she said in a low voice. “I’ll go around to the front.”
“Maybe we should talk this through one more time.”
She stopped me with a fierce look. “No. This is your life at stake. If you insist on remaining in that money pit of yours, then this is the only way.”
Hesitation crawled across my skin. “What if we’re wrong? What if his tattoo is a coincidence?”
“It’s no coincidence. There’s magic at work here. Powerful magic. I can feel it humming through my veins. Can’t you?”
I could. “I’ll see you inside,” I told her.
I heard the ring of the doorbell and understood Matilda’s plan. I rushed to the back door and tried the handle before bothering with the pyxis.
It was unlocked. The exterior ward was down, which I discovered when I was able to step inside without incident. Solomon must’ve felt very confident in his ability to protect the house.
I kept the pyxis tucked under my arm. The presence of heavy magic in the air suggested I’d still need the powder to break through an interior ward.
I walked through the kitchen, following the tug of magic as I listened to Matilda’s voice. I bit my lip in an effort not to laugh when I heard her ask if he was interested in learning about a cutting-edge home security system.
I tiptoed to the foyer, hardly surprised that the magic guided me to the basement door. I wished there was another route. I had no choice but to walk directly behind the djinn to reach my destination. Matilda kept Solomon’s attention as I slipped past them and darted to the basement door. Unfortunately, this time it wasn’t ajar. I turned the knob as slowly as possible so as not to alert the djinn to my presence.
The knob clicked as I opened the door. Solomon whirled around. His features twisted in rage when he saw me.
In the doorway, Matilda smacked her forehead.
The djinn went airborne. His towering frame cast me in shadow, and I dropped to the floor to minimize the impact. I remained in a crouched position with my hands over my head, until Matilda’s wailing cry ripped through the air.
The Celtic spirit intercepted the massive djinn before he could reach me. I’d forgotten how terrifying she could be. Sharp teeth, claws like a tiger, and that high-pitched cry that reverberated inside the body of anyone within earshot.
I scrambled against the wall to avoid the scuffle. The djinn tried to transform into an ethereal shape, but Matilda’s persistent attacks kept her prey locked in solid form. She inflicted enough damage to prevent him from doing anything except falling to the floor in a bloody heap.
Once Matilda was satisfied that he was no longer a threat, she took a few steps back and regarded me. “Shall I inflict the mortal blow, or would you care to do it?” Her clothes dripped with blood, and her left eye was already swollen shut. “I would never deprive you of such an honor, cariad.”
She was sweet when she wanted to be.
She was also deadly when she wanted to be.
