by B N Miles
The Need roiled in him like a black, bubbling cauldron. He was amazed he could still think straight, let alone stand or walk around.
Lumi came last and looked back at Nikki. “What about you?”
“Like I said, I’ll clean this up.” She gestured vaguely at the corpses on the ground. “MetaDept will be here soon, so hurry.”
Nikki turned and walked over toward the bodies.
Jared didn’t want to see what she’d do with them. He stumbled toward the boarded-up building with Cassie by his side, toward a door that was hanging partially open, the hinges smashed, some rubble lying just in front of it. Lumi followed, walked past them, and lingered next to the door.
She grunted and flared her power. The door turned blue then shattered like glass, tiny pieces falling to the ground. She looked at Jared and gestured.
“No reason for subtlety,” she said.
Jared grinned and limped forward with Cassie. Lumi came last, and together they entered the abandoned building.
13
Jared’s footsteps echoed on the bare concrete floor. It was pitch dark and Jared stumbled over a piece of scrap wood. He cursed as Cassie caught him before he could go down again, but a blossom of pain overwhelmed him for a second.
“You okay?” Cassie whispered.
“Yeah,” Jared said.
Cassie grabbed his arm tighter. “We can still go back.”
He took deep breaths while the pain receded then reached for a memgram, one of the simplest in his repertoire. It was the second memgram he ever learned, and one of the few almost every Magi could master at a very young age.
Deep black void filled by a sudden bright light.
A small glowing orb sprang to life in Jared’s palm. Cassie’s face appeared beside his, thrown into stark relief. She blinked a few times before he tossed the orb into the air, altered the spell’s conditions, and made the orb float.
“We can’t turn back yet,” he said.
Several more tiny orb lights appeared around Lumi, each bobbing in the air like fishing lures. They rolled along around her body in slow lazy arcs, and for a second Jared admired their beauty.
But he pulled his eyes from the lights and scanned the room.
It was a large, open space with pillars holding up the roof. The ceiling was at least two stories high, and whoever had owned this building gutted the place at some point. The floor was scattered with trash and debris, broken rocks and plastic water bottles, a few sandwich bags, some cigarette butts and alcohol bottles. There was a rusted bike, missing its wheel, leaning against a pile of cardboard boxes that were soggy and stained from moisture, blooming black mold crawling along their sides. Jared took a few steps forward, kicked a Steel Reserve 40 bottle, and sent it spinning into the darkness. The sound of glass bouncing echoed through the room.
“Spread out,” Jared said. “But don’t go far. If he’s in here, we’ll find him.”
Cassie gripped him tight as Lumi peeled away from the main group. She moved down the open space, stepping over piles of rubble and smashed tables and chairs.
“Creepy place,” Cassie whispered.
“I don’t know what happened here,” Jared said. “Looks like people have been breaking in and just… smashing things.”
“And living here.” Cassie nudged an empty shopping bag full of rusty soup cans with her foot.
Jared headed forward, his orb floating above his head. He took a long step over a pile of pallets then came to an abrupt halt.
An enormous alligator appeared in the gloom, its eyes white, its jaws open wide and dripping with saliva.
Cassie let out a strangled groan of fear.
Jared reached for his magic, but stopped himself before he could burn the creature to cinders.
“Fuck,” Cassie said. “Jesus, that scared me.” She took a deep, shuddering breath.
“It’s fake,” Jared said.
The alligator didn’t move. It stayed frozen in place, and after a few heart-wrenching moments, he could see the dirt, the chipped paint, the broken teeth. He stepped closer and saw a raised, green path leading away from the alligator. He reached out and tapped the alligator’s face and it rang like a hollow bell. He thought it was made of some thin metal.
“What is this place?” Cassie asked.
Jared shook his head and stepped over the path. Beyond the alligator was another raised bed, this one curving in a U-shape, with rocks on one side and some fake palm trees sprouting up along the other. Jared stared at it and let out a sharp laugh.
“It’s mini-golf,” he said, pointing at the hole at the far end of the green path.
“Oh my god,” Cassie said. “That’s so creepy.” She hit the alligator with the back of her hand and it rang again.
They found more mini-golf holes scattered all over. There was a windmill missing its arms, a gorilla with a face spray-painted blue, a whale tipped over on its side and smashed in half. Palm trees dotted the space, and Jared guessed it had been some kind of tropical theme at one point.
Lumi’s lights floated at the far end of the building. He could just barely make them out through the darkness. Jared walked on, kicking through dirt and broken glass, old syringes and cereal boxes. There was a tent set up in the far corner behind a fake bridge, but it was empty except for a pair of jeans and a backpack filled with stolen library books.
Jared could smell humidity, mold, and spilled beer, the floor sticky with years of waste.
“He’s not here,” Cassie said, her voice disappointed. “He must have run during the fight, but… but I know he was here at some point.”
Jared shook his head and stumbled on. “We’ll find him,” he said. “Can’t give up just yet.”
“I don’t understand what he’s doing in a place like this,” she said. “I mean, if my family sent him here, they would’ve sent him with supplies, right?”
Jared just shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “Does your family head into The Miles often?”
“No,” she said. “Goddess, no, I don’t think they’ve ever sent someone in there before. I was the first, and then Wade must be the second.”
Jared kicked a lone putter with a pink end. “They must be desperate to bring you back,” he said.
“To marry me off, more like,” Cassie said.
“How important was that match, anyway?”
“Important,” she said. “He was the heir to a powerful family. The Grims are strong, one of the strongest packs in the world, but my father is shrewd. He knows their power won’t last forever if he can’t pawn his daughter off.”
Jared shook his head. “I’m sorry you went through that, Cass. I really am.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m here now.”
They reached the front of the building. There were doors leading into an employee-only area, some doors for bathrooms, boarded-up doors that led back outside, and a welcome desk with an old smashed register and a computer monitor cracked down the middle. Lumi’s lights got closer to them, and he could make her out in the middle of their floating mass as she paused near something, cocked her head, and leaned forward.
Jared followed her gaze. There was a small arcade area beyond the welcome desk, just a few machines, a crane game, some shooters and fighting consoles. Lumi took a step closer and knelt down, her expression intense.
“Cassie,” Jared said and tugged her toward the arcade. The screens were cracked and broken, but there wasn’t glass on the ground. He stepped down the rows, moving toward Lumi, but he slowed as they approached the arcade’s far corner where a covered racing game sat against the wall.
Lumi stared inside, her expression hard. She looked back at them and nodded once.
There was something inside, under the little covered awning.
“Cassie,” Jared said again.
She released Jared and took a step forward.
Jared leaned against an old Mortal Kombat console and breathed deep, trying to ignore the pain. Cassie’s shoe crunch
ed over something, and she stopped a foot from the racing game. Lumi’s lights buzzed over to her, floating above her head.
“Wade?” Cassie asked, her voice soft and quiet. “Wade, is that you?”
The figure inside the racing game unfolded itself with a grunt. Jared tensed, reaching for his magic as the figure stepped out and stood. Cassie staggered back and Lumi sprang to her feet. Jared couldn’t see clearly, not at first, but then Lumi’s light flared and floated forward.
The figure was tall, nearly Jared’s height, with long black hair dangling in oily strands around his pale, gaunt face. His eyes were just like Cassie’s, a pale animal blue, but his clothes were ratty and dirty, just a torn hooded sweatshirt, a gray backpack on one shoulder, and a pair of muddy jeans. He smelled like he hadn’t seen the inside of a shower in weeks.
“Cass?” he asked. His voice was low and gravelly, and as Jared shifted closer, he could see that the person’s eyes were bloodshot, his skin was covered in sweat, and he was trembling.
“Oh my god,” she said. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“Cass.” Her cousin took a step forward. “I really found you.”
Then he stumbled and fell forward, smashing face-first against the ground.
14
Sirens screamed in the night.
The underpass swarmed with MetaDept agents, combing through the wreckage for any signs of their battle. Jared had no clue if Nikki had managed to clean it up or not, but he wasn’t sticking around to find out.
Lumi rigged some magic to move Wade without too much effort, and Jared used the fog trick on their little group as they slipped out the front door and moved away from the highway. It spit them out a block away, and they managed to turn the corner before any of the MetaDept agents spotted them. They took the long way, slipped down south a few blocks before cutting west again.
When they were far enough away, Jared called a halt in the shadow of a shade tree at the end of a quiet residential block.
He pulled out his phone and made two calls. First, he checked in with Nikki, who didn’t answer. He left a quick message updating her about Wade.
Then he called Izzy Read.
She answered just before her voicemail picked up and sounded like she’d been sleeping.
“Uh, hello?”
“Izzy,” Jared said. “This is Jared Bechtel. I know it’s late and I’m really sorry to call, but—”
“Jared?” she asked. “Do you have any clue what time it is? I’m not open right now. Call in the morning.”
“Wait,” he said. “Please, wait. I really need your help. I have a man here, he’s unconscious, but I’m not sure why. I have some broken ribs, Lumi has some burns, and we could really use your help.”
She took a deep breath, like she was trying to wake herself up.
“How bad?” she asked.
“We’re beat to hell,” he said.
“Not you,” she said. “The unconscious man. Any signs of injury?”
“No,” Jared said. “He’s been living on the street for a couple of weeks at least. Smells like a sewer. I think his eyes were bloodshot, sweating, shaking a little, really pale. I’m guessing he hasn’t eaten much, probably hasn’t had much clean water.”
Izzy sighed. “All right,” she said. “I can come to your house. But you’re paying double my rate.”
“Whatever you need,” he said.
“See you soon, then.” She hung up.
Jared slipped his phone into his pocket. Cassie gave him a look then shook her head.
“Is that a good idea?” she asked.
“We need her,” he said. “And if Nikki trusts her, we can trust her too.”
Cassie made a face but didn’t argue further.
They walked on. There were even fewer people out, though they did catch a few strange looks. Jared couldn’t blame them. From a normal person’s perspective, it looked like tiny little Lumi was carrying a man much too large for her in her arms, although Jared knew she was using magic to make him float. His magic fog couldn’t obscure them completely, but it helped in case anyone tried to recall their descriptions one day.
They made it back without getting stopped. Jared leaned on Cassie as he picked apart the wards and allowed everyone through. He used the last of his energy to stitch it all back together as Jessalene ran over and helped Lumi get Wade down onto the couch.
Jared groaned, shut the door, and slumped down to the ground. He leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes as he let out a pained sigh.
Lumi came over and sat down next to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder as Jessalene and Cassie fussed over the unconscious Wade.
“I want to fuck something so badly I can barely think,” Lumi said.
Jared laughed then groaned as the pain in his ribs flared.
“Yeah,” he said. “Same.”
Jessalene looked over Wade then shook her head.
“This is him?” she asked.
“This is him,” Cassie said. “But I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“He looks starved,” Jessalene said. “Where did you find him?”
“In some abandoned mini-golf place,” Cassie said. “We were attacked by Medlar on the way in.”
Jessalene sucked in a breath then turned to Jared. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” Jared said. “Broken ribs.”
Jessalene walked over and crouched down in front of Lumi. “And you?”
“Better than him,” she said. “But the Need’s bad.”
“Bad for both of us,” Jared said.
Jessalene sighed and touched Jared’s cheek then stood up.
“We need to get him looked at,” she said. “I can call my family, maybe there’s someone—”
Jared interrupted her. “I already called Izzy,” he said. “The healer Nikki hired a while back. She’s on the way.”
Jessalene frowned then nodded. “All right, that should work.”
Jared grunted and leaned his head back against the wall. Lumi nuzzled up against him and he felt her hand stray down between his legs.
“I’m not sure how long I can wait,” Lumi said, her voice a little purr. “I don’t remember the last time I used that much magic.”
Jared put his hand on top of Lumi’s before she could unbuckle his belt and start riding him right then and there.
“First, tell me what happened to you back there,” he said.
Lumi pouted at him, which was incredibly unlike her, and Jared knew she must have been suffering big time.
“I was handling the first Magi,” she said. “Had him pinned, was cracking his shield. Smashed it over and over like he was a lobster claw. Then the second one hit me from the side, nearly ripped my head off, stupid asshole. They came at me together, but I sliced one in half, then Nikki came over and tore the other one’s guts out. It was kind of terrifying.”
Jared laughed and grimaced in pain.
“She did the same thing to me,” he said. “I took out this big, bulging muscle guy with all these wild body mods, and when the other Magi came at me from behind, Nikki dropped down from the highway and ripped her head off.”
Lumi sucked in a breath. “God damn, she’s terrifying.”
“I know. When she was covered in blood…”
“It was kind of hot,” Lumi said, biting her lip.
“That’s really fucked up, but I completely agree.” He flashed back to Nikki’s lithe body covered in gore and felt himself stiffen.
Lumi grinned up at him. “We’re pretty broken people, you know,” she said.
“I genuinely don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Jared said.
“It’s just the Need talking,” Lumi said. “That’s what we’ll go with. We’re perfectly normal. Just regular old Magi.”
“Yeah, right,” Jared said. “Definitely normal. I’m not at all attracted to my sexy Vampire girlfriend when she’s covered in the guts of my enemies.”
Lumi grinned at him then t
ilted her head closer. She kissed his lips, gently at first, but then harder, with a deep hunger.
“You two really need to get a room,” Jessalene said, frowning at them.
“It’s okay,” Jared said, breathing hard through the pain.
“No, seriously,” Jessalene said, and pointed at the stairs. “Go upstairs, get a room, and fuck each other. You both sound like crazy people.”
Lumi giggled and Jared heard the unhinged note. He groaned as he struggled to his feet then offered Lumi his hand.
She took it, got up, and stared into his eyes. Her hair was burned at the ends, dirt and blood streaked her face. He kissed her, tasted copper on her tongue, felt her body press close against his. He was half hard just thinking about how much power she’d used, and he realized his Need was screaming at him like a wild animal, and he couldn’t think of anything but taking Lumi right there, right in the living room in front of Jessalene and Cassie and that weird unconscious Worldhopper Wade. He wanted them to watch him slide his thick cock down Lumi’s pretty throat then fuck her senseless, he wanted them to—
He stopped himself, took a deep breath, his mind racing in circles.
“Come on,” Lumi said, pulling away.
“I won’t be much use,” Jared said. “Broken ribs.”
“I’ll do all the work,” she said and tugged him along.
He glanced back and saw Jessalene sigh.
15
Lumi helped him up the steps and they managed to stumble into the first room on the right. It was the guest room, and the bed was missing its sheets and comforter, just a bare mattress on a frame.
Lumi didn’t seem to care, though. She slammed the door and shoved Jared onto the bed. He groaned in pain as Lumi grabbed at his jeans, unbuckled his belt, and pulled it off. She got his fly unzipped and pulled them off the rest of the way, throwing them on the floor. She stroked his cock over his black boxer briefs before ripping her own shirt off, then her bra and pants.
Jared stayed there, breathing hard through the pain, and somehow that only made his cock even harder as Lumi stood in front of him, smeared in dirt and blood, her pink nipples hard in the moonlight, her black pubic hair a gorgeous tangle between her pale legs.