Arcane Dropout 5

by Edmund Hughes

  “We could always see if there’s anything in the enchanting workshop that might help.” Eliza gave a small, halfway-defeated shrug. “I don’t see what else we can do right now.”

  “It’s fine,” said Harper. “I wasn’t expecting us to clear the entire tomb on a single visit. We’ll head back to Primhaven for now and return in a few days, once we’ve worked out a plan of action.”

  INTERLUDE

  Zoe liked the ambiance of the club. The lighting was hypnotic blue, full of style and character. The music was tolerable and playing at a volume she could still speak and hear over. It was all the people she hated.

  There were just far too many of them in far too confined a space. She’d grown used to the wide walls and open rooms of the mansion. She’d let herself come to love Lestaron Island with its familiar faces and slow, small-town atmosphere.

  A crowded club in an unfamiliar city was no longer a situation that fell within the bounds of her comfort zone. She held her drink in front of her chest like a tower shield, leaning against the far end of the bar and trying to look like she was in control of her circumstances.

  “Relax,” said Mira. “You don’t have to be on guard all the time. This is a mundane club, despite its owner. Nothing here can threaten us.”

  “It’s not the prospect of a fight that’s making me anxious,” said Zoe.

  “Then what is?”

  It was hard for her to put it into words, especially to Mira who’d long since transcended from social butterfly to social vampire. Mira wore a black club dress with a plunging neckline and provocative peek-a-boo slits running across her midriff and down one hip. Her blonde hair hung in a single, glossy lock, and she’d worn a dangerous shade of red lipstick as a not-so-subtle telegraph of what she was underneath.

  “Never mind,” muttered Zoe. “You go have fun. I’m going to get another drink.”

  “Don’t get too drunk,” said Mira. “Trevor Barksdale’s lieutenant said he was on his way. We still need to meet with him before we leave.”

  “I know.”

  Mira gave Zoe a kiss on the cheek and made her way forward into the wild, each hip-swaying step on beat with the music. She saw at least a dozen male sets of eyes snap toward her friend. Unfortunately, she also saw a few men looking toward her, now she was alone at the bar.

  She silently cursed herself for letting Mira pick her outfit. She’d insisted on wearing jeans, but the top she had on was white with tiny spaghetti straps precluding her wearing a bra underneath. She felt far too exposed, and without really thinking about it, she brought her empty drink back in front of her chest.

  “You’re not a fan of clubs, are you?”

  Zoe started at the sudden voice before clearing her throat and summoning a bit of her lost composure. A man had approached her. He looked normal enough, brown hair, black V-neck, broad shoulders, a bit on the short side, but with a nice smile.

  “No, I’m not,” she said. “I’m only here because—”

  “A friend dragged you out.” The man smiled. “Oldest tale in the book. It’s like a prophecy. When the moon ascends into the sky, honorable unwilling maiden shall chaperone her besties.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes, though a small smile managed to sneak through the cracks.

  “I don’t need you to buy me a drink, so don’t bother asking,” she said.

  “I wasn’t going to.” The man shrugged. “I was actually hoping you’d dance with me.”

  Zoe shook her head. The man held up a finger, grinning.

  “One dance. Trust me, you’ll feel a lot less out of place on the dance floor where it’s too crowded to stand out. Think of it as a survival strategy.”

  “Survival strategy?” she said. “You make it sound like it’s dangerous to be here.”

  “Well, taking risks with strangers is always a little dangerous.” The man flicked his eyebrows up and held out his hand.

  Zoe looked for Mira in the crowd and spotted her sandwiched in between two hunky men. She sighed, set her drink down, and accepted her new accompaniment.

  They found space on the edge of the floor and began moving to the beat. Her new dance partner was gracious, giving her space and holding his own with his movements. He let her lead, only shifting in closer when she did, and being as much of a gentleman as one could expect from a denizen of a seedy night club.

  It was almost fun. At the very least, Zoe found herself understanding where the enjoyment came from. It was flattering, almost empowering, to know his focus was on her and she could likely ditch him and go find someone new if he did anything that rubbed her the wrong way.

  She shifted into him, and she felt his hands settle on her hips. And just like that, he was rubbing her body along the side. It wasn’t the wrong way to rub, exactly. More the wrong gender. She felt him get a bit too bold, pushing his crotch forward and revealing how turned on she’d apparently made him.

  “You know,” said the man. “We could go back to my place.”

  “I’m gay,” said Zoe.

  “You’re, er… what?”

  She was saved from further elaboration by Mira pulling her away by the elbow. The two of them stepped off the dance floor and headed for the corner of the club, where a bouncer stood guard in front of a door leading to the VIP section.

  “Barksdale just arrived,” said Mira. “Time for us to do what we came here to do.”

  The bouncer gestured to them as they approached, apparently forewarned of their presence. He led them through the back area and into a small office with leather couches and a singular desk. Trevor Barksdale sat in a chair behind it, looking tired and sipping at a glass of brown liquor.

  “Ah,” he said. “My honored guests have finally arrived.”

  “We were waiting for you, in fact,” said Mira. “It’s good to see you again, Trevor.”

  “Likewise. Though I must say, I was expecting your master to come in person.”

  Zoe tried to keep her reaction in check. Jack was still wounded from the fight with Genevieve Laughton, the cuts inflicted by her enchanted saber refusing to heal with time. He was getting worse instead of better, but the last thing they could do was admit that openly.

  “The Dealmaker is a busy man,” said Mira. “He sent the two of us to negotiate on his behalf.”

  “I’m more than willing to negotiate with you,” said Trevor. “In fact, we could even skip right past that. I’m willing to accept the original terms of the Independent Coalition and ally with the House of Shadows and the Melting Pack.”

  “I’m so glad to hear you say that,” said Mira. “I’d be pleased to carry the news back to—”

  “But I need to hear it from the Dealmaker himself. I can’t consider it finalized until I shake hands and have that level of confirmation. I hope you understand.”

  Zoe winced. This was what they’d feared and expected. Jack’s name as the Dealmaker carried a level of authority that couldn’t be matched by another member of their organization acting on his behalf. It wasn’t a roadblock they could simply take a detour to get around.

  “Fair enough,” said Mira with a sigh.

  “I don’t want you to feel as though you came all the way out here for nothing,” said Trevor. “I’ll set the two of you up with the nicest room in my hotel. We can start sharing information more freely, as well. Let the Dealmaker know I can come to him when he’s ready to make it official.”

  ***

  “Well, he certainly wasn’t exaggerating when he said it was the nicest room,” said Mira.

  She spun a circle as she made her way through the expensively decorated suite. Zoe sighed, feeling as though she was having a harder time looking on the bright side.

  “We came all this way for nothing,” she muttered.

  “It was always a possibility. We were well aware this could be the outcome when we left.” Mira stretched her arms out and fell backward onto the king-sized bed. “Ooh, feel these sheets. So soft and silky.”

  “I’m going to call my brother
again and see if he’s made any progress on getting close to Genevieve’s sword.”

  She took out her cell phone and dialed Eldon’s new number. She could feel Mira’s eyes on her as she waited, listening as the connection went straight to voice mail.

  “It may be that your brother can’t, or perhaps even won’t, help us,” she said.

  “Let’s hope that’s not the case, for Jack’s sake.”

  “He’s been through worse. I suspect he’ll make it through this, as well.”

  Mira kicked her high heels off and spread out on the bed. Zoe hung up her phone and crossed her arms, frowning as she looked out the window into the lights of the city.

  “Zoe,” said Mira. “There’s no need to fret. The situation isn’t ideal, but we’ll manage.”

  “I know, it’s just…” She shook her head.

  “Relax.” Mira patted the spot next to her. “Sit down. We can do nothing more tonight. There’s no reason why we should punish ourselves for circumstances beyond our control.”

  Zoe sighed and slowly made her way over. She felt Mira sliding near to her as soon as she’d taken a seat, her eyes fixated on a specific spot on Zoe’s neck.

  “You fed right before we left,” muttered Zoe.

  “That was this morning.” Mira pushed Zoe’s hair out of the way, sending a shiver through her. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  Zoe didn’t say anything. Tingles of sensation fluttered through her as Mira’s breath tickled her neck.

  “I could always go find a willing boy toy to suck dry if it’s a bother for you,” whispered Mira.

  “I don’t think Jack would approve of that.”

  “True enough. It’s always seemed so arbitrary, the way the male ego works. He’s fine with me playing with other women, but other men, that’s a step over the line.”

  Zoe swallowed, feeling suddenly lightheaded as Mira pulled in closer, lips brushing naked skin. “I’m only letting you bite me, tonight. That’s it.”

  “There’s only one bed, my sweet Zoe,” whispered Mira. “Will you really let your broken heart keep you from getting a good night’s sleep?”

  Mira set a hand on Zoe’s midriff, intensifying the conflict of emotion and experience storming through her.

  “It isn’t about her,” muttered Zoe.

  “Are you sure? I can always put my hair in a braid if it is.”

  Zoe glared at her and pulled away. Mira’s laugh was a touch too mocking for her liking. She started to stand up from the bed. A tendril of shadow magic wrapped around her chest, across her shoulder diagonally, between her breasts.

  It pulled her back, gently, but forcefully. Mira reached out a hand and let her finger caress Zoe’s lips.

  “I apologize,” she said. “That was out of line. Your feelings are your own, Zoe, I’m just aware of how love can be.”

  “You have no idea how I feel,” said Zoe.

  “Fair enough. Though, supposing I did, I’m the type of woman who would only covet you more because of it. I torture myself, truly. The emotionally unavailable have always had an inexplicable allure to me.”

  Mira kept Zoe held where she was with her tendril. She moved behind her, running soft fingers up the length of her body. Zoe shuddered, despite herself. She bit her lip as she felt Mira’s teeth drag across her neck.

  “Tell me,” she whispered. “Did Harper ever make you feel the way my fangs do when they sink into your neck?”

  Zoe jerked away. She’d seen this side of Mira before, the part that loved to mess with her and get into her head. She wasn’t interested in playing that sort of game tonight, but then she felt Mira kissing her neck, and suddenly the vampire was drawing a soft moan was out of her.

  Mira pulled her arm to the side, and the shadow tendril followed after it, ferrying Zoe down onto the bed. The top Mira had picked out for her was roughly pulled up and over her head, her small breasts bouncing free of the fabric. She started to draw an arm across her chest, but Mira’s tendril took her by the wrists, pinning her to the bed’s headboard.

  “Was that really necessary?” asked Zoe.

  “You can always tell me to stop,” whispered Mira. “Just say the word, and we won’t take it any further.”

  Zoe felt a fierce heat in her cheeks as she watched the other woman slowly unzipping her jeans and pulling them down her hips. Mira kissed the inside of her bare thigh, and Zoe gasped as she felt her drag her fangs against the sensitive skin.

  She nuzzled her face against Zoe’s mound through her panties. It was almost too much, and then they quickly passed over that line as Mira hooked her fingers into the waistband of her underwear and pulled downward.

  She waited there, staring into Zoe’s womanhood with an intensity that made her feel young and unsure again. It reminded her of painful memories, love, and loss. Harper.

  Mira waited, clearly sensing the tumult within her. She was sensitive like that when she wanted to be.

  With her arms still bound, Zoe reached out with her legs, drawing Mira deeper in with the gesture. Mira set a hand on either side of her thighs, firm and possessive. Zoe’s back arched as she felt the first tease of her hot, wet tongue.

  Mira went slow, letting the pleasure she inflicted build by kissing and licking everywhere but where Zoe wanted her to. It perfectly encapsulated who she was. Zoe bucked her hips, gasping as Mira’s tongue hit the mark.

  The bindings released her wrists just as she was about to come. Mira left her like that, grinning as she slid upward to join her face-to-face on the bed. Zoe kissed and ground herself into her, too horny to appreciate the ebb and flow of the other woman’s seduction.

  She tore Mira’s dress off, letting a glimpse of her own dominant side out. Mira’s breasts were almost large enough to be unwieldy, huge in comparison to Zoe’s own. She kissed Mira again, letting their bare flesh meet. She felt Mira’s hand sliding between her thighs, and then the kisses shifted to her neck.

  “Oh…” moaned Zoe.

  Mira went back to her teasing, working her up to the very brink with her strumming fingers. Zoe felt Mira’s fangs against her neck, and then she was sliding a finger into her, bringing her to the very edge, and then…

  Bliss. She climaxed in the same instant Mira’s fangs entered her neck, and it was simply bliss. It was a sensation above and beyond anything she could have endured for more than a few seconds. It was like the first few times with Harper when they’d experimented and discovered together how good they could make each other feel.

  Mira was moaning and shuddering, too. It was about the blood for her, not the sex, though Zoe wondered if the two were truly separate. She let her head nuzzle against Zoe’s shoulder as she finished drinking, and the two lay together, naked and satisfied.

  “I understand your feelings, Zoe,” whispered Mira.

  “I somehow doubt that.”

  Mira propped her head up on her arm and gave her a mischievous smile. “If you had a chance to see her again, would you take it?”

  “We’d just try to kill each other. Again.”

  “If she couldn’t try to kill you,” said Mira. “If, say she was a prisoner, and completely in our power.”

  “It’s more likely she ends up dead, or I do.”

  “Don’t be so pessimistic.” Mira stroked her cheek with a finger. “I will do everything in my power to make sure Harper doesn’t die.”

  “You will?” Zoe furrowed her brow. “What’s the catch?”

  “You,” said Mira, with a chuckle. “I would have thought you’d guessed that already. I would much rather see you happy than see you in tears. I’ll bring Harper to her knees in front of you, Zoe. You’ll be the one who decides what happens to her.”

  A flush came to Zoe’s cheeks. Maybe Mira did understand her feelings, after all.

  CHAPTER 16

  It was late in the afternoon when Lee and the others arrived back at Primhaven. He was surprised by how tired he felt, though it made sense after all the fighting, snowmobiling, and sleeping in
the wild.

  The warmth of Primhaven’s campus was a welcome relief after a day and a half in varying degrees of the cold. He unzipped his jacket and pulled out his phone. He had a single missed call from his sister, no doubt about the previous concern she’d expressed about Gen’s sword.

  “Alright,” said Harper. “Let’s all brainstorm ideas for getting past that ice wall over the next few days. I have class to teach tomorrow, so the soonest we could head back out would be the day after that.”

  “We have classes, too,” muttered Eliza. “It isn’t ideal for my grades to be missing so much.”

  “You’re welcome to stay behind then,” said Harper. “You too, Willow, if you wish. Eldon and I can handle the rest of this on our own if need be.”

  Eliza and Willow glanced at Harper, and then at each other, apparently working out similar conclusions in their heads.

  “Well, I’ll let you know if I come up with anything that might help,” said Lee. “For now, there’s a shower with my name on it.”

  He felt his exhaustion catching up with him as he made his way into his dorm room. Still no Toma, which was increasingly worrying, but the kitten was asleep on his bed, and Tess was sitting alongside it.

  She grinned and jumped to her feet when she saw him. Lee pulled her into his mystic stream and gave her a tight hug. She had on a baggy t-shirt and yoga pants, and the feel of her body against his only made the realization of how much he’d missed her even more intense.

  “I was so worried!” said Tess. “We need to work out a system so you can tell me you’re okay in situations like this.”

  “It might be a little tricky, given your inability to use a phone.” He pulled back a few inches, brushing brown locks of hair out of her face and caressing her cheek. “I missed you, too.”

  The kitten had woken up. It let out a lazy yawn and proceeded to hop off the bed and nuzzle Lee’s ankle.

  “You weren’t in too much danger, were you?” asked Tess. “I kept picturing the frost trolls attacking, and you falling through the ice, and… avalanches.”