by Aiden Bates
I struggled to speak, but the words in my head evaporated before I could speak them. The concepts behind them seemed to unravel. Somewhere, deep down, I knew that I’d done a stupid, stupid thing and that now I was paying the price.
But I knew, too, that I would pay it again, and again, if I had to do it over.
I focused my eyes on Tam’s face. He spoke, but I couldn’t interpret the sounds. I was almost gone, slipping away. But he was here. He was safe. I reached up with a hand that almost didn’t respond to my command. It shook, my fingers twitching and curling as I pressed it to his cheek and summoned everything left inside me to speak two words. “Yours. Forever.”
Tam’s eyes flashed red and gold. Tears poured from them, but burned away to steam, sizzling at the corners of his eyelids. He took my hand from his face and held it, his face contorting into some emotion I no longer understood. Sounds came from his lips, and he slipped an arm under my shoulders to pull me up almost to sitting.
His lips found mine, held them. He breathed hard, the heat washing over my mouth and chin.
And then his skin shifted. Scales erupted across him. His body swelled, until I was dwarfed by him, his powerful arms holding me as easily as a doll. He bent his neck and drew my shirt aside to expose the meat of my shoulder where it met my neck.
One word he said broke through the confusion in my thoughts. It resonated, ringing like a church bell. “Mine.”
And then a sweet kind of pain erupted at my shoulder. White-hot fire entered me, burned through me. With it came strength. A beating heart that wasn’t mine. My heart sped up, then slowed, matched the other, until they throbbed together.
My feet found something to stand on. Something solid. I rooted myself in it. It shook beneath me, trembling as the storm in my mind raged. But I reached into that storm with two sets of hands, willed it to calm with two minds.
“I’ve got you,” Tam breathed against my neck. “We can do this.”
The lightning that cracked in my brain struck him, too. His massive body shuddered with it. I felt his heart speed up, keeping pace with mine. It was spreading. Reaching across the new connection between us, threatening to devour him like it did me.
I pushed against it, pulling it back, trying to bottle it up like before, to build a wall between it and us, but each brick I tried to push into place crumbled. I’d saved him, brought him back—and he’d thrown it away trying to save me in return. We were just going to crumble together.
“Stop,” Tam said, his voice a shaking mountain in his half-form. He took my face in his hands, made me look at him. “Don’t fight it. Share it with me. Let me hold it with you. You aren’t alone, Vance.”
“It... kill us both,” I gasped.
“Maybe,” he agreed. “Maybe. But maybe not. Don’t leave me. Not now. Not after all of it. You’re my mate. I’m yours, you’re mine. Now and forever.”
He’d claimed me. That was the feeling, the strength that poured into me. My heart swelled. I gave a weak nod, and stopped holding the storm back.
It spread into him, surging across the bond. He held me, suffered with me as it spread, tried to burn us, to freeze us, to unravel us.
I found Tam’s lips. They were rough now, shifted like he was, but they were warm. One last kiss before we were consumed, in any shape. That’s all I wanted.
But from it, something else swelled and grew. Love. Mine for him, his for me. It poured out from that contact into both of us. New and ancient, thundering and gentle, it spread through us, into our thoughts, our hearts, our bones. It became a lattice that hardened, and began to pulse with our hearts. The storm raged, and roared, and snapped, but the love between us wasn’t a thought that could be burned away, or a concept that could be unraveled. It was something deeper, something essential, that transcended form.
I don’t know how long we clung to one another. We held on until the storm passed. Until it was only distant, boiling clouds. A weight that might always be there, but was now borne by both of us.
We breathed hard together, and gradually Tam’s body shifted, his scales slipping back to wherever they were when he wasn’t wearing them. His body softened, and the heat that had surrounded us evaporated. I was sweating from it, but not burned.
I finally pried my eyes open to find his already watching my face. Worried, anxious, searching for some sign that I was me.
“Hi there,” I whispered.
His face broke into a wide smile. He kissed me, swallowing half a sob as he gathered me to him and rocked. And the sob turned into a laugh. “Hi.”
“You saved me,” I said.
“You saved me first,” he pointed out.
I shrugged. “I guess I did.”
The moment of excitement didn’t last. It cooled as both our thoughts turned to what was left to do. “We can’t wait,” I said. “Baz is still out there.”
“I know,” Tam said. “Liana’s looking for them.”
“I got a name,” I told him. “The cabal’s looking as well. But... I don’t know how long it will take.”
He moved, sliding me off his lap as he went to the edge of the bed and stood. His clothes were shredded, hanging off him from his shift, and he shed them, and went to his closet as I got up as well.
“Any way to speed that process up?” he asked as he changed.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe...”
He looked over at me as he pulled a shirt on. There was a new shade of worry in his eyes, alongside a fresh glint of affection. We’d come through something, become stronger for it. But he felt the same distant pressure I did now.
But where he had only the weight of it on his shoulders, I had everything locked away behind that Big Wall of Bad. Now, it was in reach.
“I’m... a little exhausted from all of that,” I admitted, “but I remember more now. I can do more, I can find him. I saw a room, when they opened that portal—”
“No,” Tam said, and came close to me. He smoothed my hair, and trailed his thumb along my jaw. “You’ve done too much already. We’re not stable yet, I can feel it. You need time to recover.”
“And you don’t?” I asked. “We can’t wait.”
“I know that,” he breathed. “But I can’t put you in danger again. Not this soon, anyway.”
I raised an eyebrow, leaning back to look up at him. “Do you really think you can say ‘no’ to me? I could just put you to sleep and do it myself.”
He was skeptical, and didn’t believe I would really do it. Sensing his thoughts, his feelings, was like breathing now. I wasn’t sure I could actually shut him out, now that we were bonded. Mated? I liked it, but apparently it went both ways.
“You wouldn’t do that,” he said. He tapped my temple, then his. “Just like the old days.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t,” I said as I stood. “But you know that I’m not sitting on the sidelines, either. When have I ever?”
He grunted acknowledgment of the truth in that.
“It will be different this time,” I told him, and rested a hand on the side of his neck. “This time, we’re together. Really together. We’ll take Liana and the others. I’ll call Mikhail, and see who else he can bring along. Master Nkendi is already looking for information on Leda, she knows what’s happening, the cabals will help. No one wants another Midnight Incident.”
Tam’s jaw muscles bulged, and I sensed the frustration and helplessness in him. We had to act fast. He knew it. And he knew that I was right. “Okay,” he said finally. “Call Mikhail. I’ll gather Liana and the others. We’ll finish this together.”
When I grinned, it was stiff. Nothing about going after these people was exciting. But knowing that it could be over, once and for all, and that we could get on with our lives—together—was enough to at least light a new fire in my belly. One to match the fire burning in his.
“Go,” I said, and picked my phone up. “I’ll see who I can drum up.”
He kissed me hard, and then left, leaving me almost breathless. I
ached for him, now that I could feel the years between us. The time we’d lost. The time we’d had before. It felt so long ago now.
I shook that feeling off. We’d have plenty more time, if we could just get this done. I called Mikhail, and it took five rings that I thought would end with his voicemail before he answered. “Vance? What the hell is going on?”
I frowned. “Uh... Master Nkendi caught you up?”
“She did,” he said, and somewhere on his end a door closed. His voice lowered. “What exactly did you tell her? A master’s council session was called. Closed-door, they shut down the entire campus, even restricted the inner chamber building. They’ve been sequestered for hours.”
I pulled the phone back, looked at the time. Shit. It had been hours. “Fuck,” I muttered. “Did she mention Leda? The prodigy?”
“She did,” Mikhail muttered. Papers rustled. “She knew the masters would call a meeting, and asked me to look into it. You’re probably talking about Leda Kane. Prodigy. Elementalist, traveler, healer, and seer. She was inducted by Custodes Collis, she was in their backyard. And get this—she’s dead. She and one of her instructors were in some kind of accident about six years ago. The reports are sealed, so I don’t know what supposedly happened, but they were both marked off the rolls.”
“She called their leader ‘master’,” I said. “Who was her instructor?”
“Says it was Henry DuPont,” he said. “Also a prodigy. Esper... and necromancer.”
“Fuck me,” I breathed. “That’s got to be him. Tam killed him, burned him in the caves before, but he—”
“How do you know that?” Mikhail asked, panicked.
I groaned. “All right, so... I took down the wall.”
“What the fuck, Vance? Are you fucking kidding—”
“Calm down,” I said. “I’m talking to you, aren’t I? Tam... claimed me. We’re mated. Forever. And it helped.”
He was quiet a moment. “So... you know what happened? Before, when you were hurt?”
“He made the best choice he could at the time,” I said softly, glancing at the door to the room, wondering if he could hear me. “Anyway, it’s fine. But, we can’t wait for the masters to make a decision. Henry, if that’s who it is, has Baz. The pups were descended from one of the eighteen as well, and so are Haval and Tam. With Sophia, it’s four of the bloodlines involved. Dragon, mage, and fae. Even if we don’t know what happened exactly at the Midnight Incident, that’s got to be serious. They’re trying to reopen the rift and that can’t happen.”
“Agreed,” he said, and gave a heavy sigh. “And I’m guessing you’re about to ask me to break a bunch of rules.”
“We need mages,” I said. “Mages who can be forgiven for bending the rules. Who aren’t yet governed by the FDPA guidelines.”
He groaned softly. “Yeah. Of course. Uh... let me see what I can round up.”
“Thank you, Mikhail.” I looked up as the door opened. Tam came in and paused, giving me a questioning look. “Get who you can,” I told Mikhail. “I’ll find Baz.”
“I’ll do what I can,” he said. “Oh, and Leda—she was identified in a place called Brenton, in Vermont. After she accidentally started a fire. That part of town was cleared out, the residents relocated. Not far from where you said you found the cabin. There’s a news article about it.”
“Have you seen the place?” I asked.
“Just pictures,” he said. “But it’s a big chunk of town that no one goes near anymore. Everyone there is a little phobic about magic, even years later.”
Perfect. “Thanks,” I told him. “Call me when you can.”
Tam came near as I hung up. “Liana and the others are ready when we are. What did Mikhail have to say?”
I caught him up as we left the room, already searching for Brenton on my phone. I couldn’t be sure, because I hadn’t seen the area where we found the cabin from a bird’s eye view, but it looked close enough. I showed it to Tam. “Is that familiar?”
He took the phone, frowning. “That’s where we flew down from. The cabin would be about here.” He zoomed in to a patch of woods near the winding line of the highway.
Brenton was about thirty miles north and east. “We should go now,” I said. “Mikhail will be in touch, but we can’t wait.”
“No,” Tam agreed. “Then come on. Can you search in the air?”
I grinned, a thrill running through me. It had been a long time since I flew with Tam. At least, when I was conscious. “I can.”
“Then get a warm jacket,” he said. “And let’s go get our boy.”
23
Tam
There, to your right, Vance’s thoughts spoke in my head. Uh, two o’clock. There’s a blank spot. Place is crawling with rats, but they won’t go near it.
I banked, turning my head to look for the image that Vance gave me. A small cluster of houses, two of them still black from having burned. As if Vance was pointing at it, one of them became clearer as I looked. That one, he said.
Tell the others, I replied. Come at them in hex formation, two pairs at each corner.
I didn’t hear him relay the orders, but I sensed his magic and the vibration of his thoughts as he reached out to the others in the way we’d all agreed on and sent them the instructions. They peeled off in pairs, with Liana pulling up to join me and Vance, and began to spread and circle around.
I need to text Mikhail, Vance sent as we descended. Open your fingers.
I snorted, and spread two of my claws so he could get a signal. The frigid air rushed in, and I felt the shiver in his body as he clutched his jacket closed. Fuck, it’s cold.
Send the text, I said. And then we have to stay focused.
He sent me a gentle prod when he finished, and I closed my hand around him again as Liana and I dipped our heads and angled downward. They would have to know we were coming, and would be prepared. The best we could do was approach carefully. Each team would land far enough away from the target to take half-form and approach quietly. It was the best we could do.
Liana and I lighted just west of the house. I let Vance down before I shifted.
“So far,” Vance said as he stretched from the hours-long flight, “they’ve got an esper, a necromancer, a traveler, and at least two elementalists. DuPont might have been collecting prodigies, or Leda could be an anomaly. So I don’t know what else is in there. I’ll do my best to counter anything psychic, but the rest is up to your scales.”
I gave him a nod, unable to speak with my body shifted like it was. And all communication telepathic?
“I’ll try to maintain a link with everyone,” Vance said. He was clearly weary from the flight, though, and I could tell it was a strain on him both in the way his eyes seemed redder, more bleary, and the feeling of effort coming across from his mind. “Once we get close, it might not be a good idea. DuPont is an esper himself, and if I’m not careful, we’ll give ourselves away. He already knows we’re coming, he’d be stupid to think we wouldn’t follow and I don’t think he’s that. Our best tactic is to get as much of a surprise edge as we can.”
Liana and I agreed mentally, and Vance looked down as his phone buzzed with a new message. He gave a sigh of relief. “And we’ve got back-up coming. Not much, but Mikhail contacted a traveler in Florida. It’ll take a few portals for them to get this far, though. He’s got our location, and he’ll get here as soon as he can with the others he managed to get on board.”
Then all that is left is to go, I said. I looked to Liana. Baz is my priority target, then DuPont. Yours is Vance. If it goes sideways, get him out and let me cover your retreat.
Yes, sir, she sent back.
Vance at least didn’t complain about it, but she and I both sensed the ripple of irritation that came off him and across the link.
His tongue held, he turned toward the direction of the houses, which were perhaps an eighth of a mile away. We’re moving.
A chorus of acknowledgments came back, relayed through Vance’s
mind, and with that we began our approach.
It wasn’t only the rats that appeared to avoid the place. My eyes turned the night into a pale gray-blue landscape of sharp edges, and saw no movement at all in the area. My ears didn’t pick up skittering feet, flapping wings, or the tiny heartbeats of worried animals, either moving around or nestled in burrows. As if everything living was too afraid to come close, or had been driven off.
Vance had only found the exact place by looking at what he couldn’t see, instead of hopping from the mind of one animal to another. All of them steered well clear, out to almost a half mile.
The part of Brenton that was still inhabited seemed none the wiser to the danger in their backyard. When Vance had gently given the mostly slumbering minds a cursory look, he thought it was the sort of place they all tried to forget existed. Magical accidents were like that to most humans. None of them were really comfortable with the idea of beasts that could appear human, beings who fed off of blood like vampires or emotions like the fae, and certainly were unnerved by the idea of a whole population of people who could summon ghosts, read minds, or burn things with their minds.
All of that unease was what had led to the conflicts that followed the Enlightenment. That, and the Midnight Incident.
If it were to happen again, even if it could be stopped like it had before, in Chicago, history would doubtless repeat itself. Baz was my first concern, the reason I was here. But there was more at stake than just him. We had all been so careful not to upset the humans, to integrate into society or to just stay out of their way. No matter what we did, though, that peace would always be balanced on a knife’s edge.
Vance’s magic sang softly behind me as the house came into clear view. The weed-ridden remains of a yard surrounded it. There was no way to approach except under cover of darkness, and neither of us thought that would be enough. Instead, it had to be speed and surprise.
Light fingers touched my elbow. Give me a second.