He and I walked out of the sanctuary, and I made an executive decision on the spot.
“Stand back, big guy.” I touched my wand to the welcome center. “We’re about to get toasty.”
With a little boost from Colby, I incinerated the building, sparking a fire that would eat through the twists and turns of the boardwalk wherever it flowed through the vast sanctuary. The trees and wildlife would remain undisturbed. For now. But this was a bandage on a gunshot wound, and it wouldn’t stick forever.
Calixta was no longer safe here. Too many people knew where to find her. We had to fix that.
“S’mores?” the daemon asked hopefully. “Like s’mores.”
“Everyone likes s’mores.” I exhaled as the quick access to Calixta was ravaged. “But we’ll have to make some at the hotel.” His shoulders slumped, and I patted him. “We have no marshmallows, remember?”
Or graham crackers. Or Hershey bars. Or sticks I would allow to touch my food.
When we reached the SUV, Clay sat with Colby on his lap in the backseat with the door standing open.
The cocoon surrounding her had been cut in sections with the pair of scissors from my own run-in with a giant spider, but her wings were stuck in the hardening goop. She leaned against Clay, her eyes dark, but she perked when we ducked in to check on her.
“That was amazing.” She gazed up at the daemon. “You killed it dead. Totally dead. With your hands.”
“Colby friend,” he huffed, scuffing his foot in the dirt. “Save friend.”
“Can you sit back here with us?” She wiggled on Clay’s lap. “Oh.” She frowned. “What about your…?”
No further encouragement required, the daemon stuffed himself into the SUV, his horns raking the ceiling, shredding the fabric. The vehicle rocked under his weight, and I had doubts about shutting the door. I forgot those when Colby walked onto his lap, and he scooped her against his chest.
Antennae weighted with webbing, she asked, “Do you like computer games?”
“I like games.” A furrow creased his brow. “Computer is game?”
The daemon tended to come out in times of stress, leaving Asa to enjoy the lulls. I wasn’t sure the daemon understood modern technology, let alone gaming, but I was happy for the chance for him to bond with Colby.
“I’ll teach you,” she promised. “If you don’t like it, I have tons of board games.”
For his sake, I would purchase a few yard games, like horseshoes and cornhole, things he could excel at without feeling inadequate.
“Okay.”
He grinned at her, she grinned back, and I shut the door to avoid intruding on their moment.
We made it halfway to the hotel before my phone rang. I didn’t check the app monitoring blocked calls for me. I knew who it was before I answered, just as I accepted there was no ignoring him after this.
“Director,” I greeted him with cool politeness. “To what do I owe the honor?”
“You are to report to my office,” he snapped, “immediately.”
The line recalled all those high school dramas about principals’ offices I had watched with the girls.
“All right.”
“You listen to—” His tirade petered out as he registered my words. “All right?”
“Sure.” I twisted my hands on the wheel. “Give me two days, and I’ll be there will bells on.”
His silence told me my quick acquiescence had stunned him, which amused me to no end.
“All right,” he echoed, intentional or not. “I’ll see you then, Elspeth.”
Ending the call, I felt lighter. Not sure why, given I had agreed to face the director for the first time in over a decade. Maybe because I had already decided to pay him a visit. Or maybe it was because I knew his dirty little secret about Calixta, and I was willing to exploit the heck out of it to finally get answers.