Risky Bargains

by J. C. Diem

  Emma’s head swiveled to me when she felt my embarrassed dread. She reached out to pat me on my cheek comfortingly.

  “I’ll do some research,” I said, hoping to avoid an awkward conversation with the woman who had birthed me, then abandoned me.

  “The sooner, the better,” Yas said ominously, then swept out of my room.

  “A girl can’t even dream in private,” I muttered as I followed in her wake. At least our conversation hadn’t been overheard by anyone. I scowled at Franko’s door as I strode past it, wishing once more that he hadn’t been chosen to be Jax’s replacement.

  Crowmon had chosen to wear an all-green outfit today, rather than clashing colors. “What’s with the monochromatic color scheme?” Yas asked him as I set about making breakfast. The rest of the team would be up soon and I was too hungry to wait for them.

  “We’ll be searching the woods today, lass,” the deity reminded her. “I’ll have less of a chance of getting shot by human hunters if I don’t stand out.”

  “Good call,” I said as I rummaged around in the fridge. “Maybe you can avoid being shot by Franko, too.”

  We snickered at the slur the alpha wasn’t aware of, then Yas helped me prepare breakfast. Emma was huddled on Crowmon’s lap like a contented cat. He was one of her favorite people since he’d stolen the crystal figurine for her. He treated her with respect, which made me like him even more. I trusted the trickster god and knew he was one of the good guys, despite the dark past that he’d forced himself to forget.

  My good mood soured when the alpha was the first to rise. Franko nodded in greeting, then took over frying the bacon and eggs. He didn’t try to brush up against me, or flirt with me as I started making toast. Yas stayed close, getting coffee ready for everyone.

  Liam paused at the top of the spiral stairs to assess the situation when he emerged from his bedroom a few minutes later. Seeing no one was fighting yet, he descended to the ground floor to help us.

  “Now, this is service,” Nick said in approval when he followed Syd and Brynn downstairs. “I could get used to this,” he added at seeing a meal already waiting for them.

  “In your dreams, little brother,” Liam said wryly. “We’re not going to be your personal cooks.”

  “Pity,” Sydney muttered. Her hands became a blur of motion as she snatched up her portion of the food.

  Eating quickly and efficiently, we worked together to clear the table and rinse the dirty dishes. Once the kitchen and dining room were clean, Liam got us all moving. “Alex will drive,” he said as we headed for the garage. “Who wants to come with us?”

  Everyone halted in their tracks, including Franko. “We’ll wait here, boss,” Brynn said.

  “Why bother driving to Landsby at all?” the alpha hole asked. “Why don’t we just get the rodent to take us all there and back?”

  Emma’s nose twitched at his insulting tone and I petted her soothingly.

  “The townsfolk are already jumpy,” Liam said in an overly patient tone. “They’ll be watching who’s coming and going. They’ll notice it if we don’t arrive by vehicle and figure out that we aren’t human.”

  “We’ll get some training in while we wait,” Nick said.

  “I’ll stop at the same spot as yesterday,” I said to him. “Emma will come and get you in an hour and a half.”

  “We’ll be waiting,” Syd said cheerfully.

  “Behave yourselves while we’re gone,” Liam ordered, directing the comment at Franko. “Emma can bring me back here in the blink of an eye if anyone causes any trouble.”

  The alpha kept his expression neutral, but his jaw clenched at the subtle threat.

  Satisfied that he’d gotten his point across, Liam led the way to the garage. Emma remained on my shoulder and Yas brought up the rear, pulling her hood and gloves on along the way.

  “Why are you coming with me this time?” I asked when we were seated in the van.

  “I need a break from the alpha hole,” Liam replied honestly.

  “Don’t we all?” Yas drawled from the seat behind him. “Come here, roadkill,” she said and held her hands out as I backed out of the garage. “You’ll be safer back here with me.”

  Emma cut a look at me, then leapt into the vampire’s hands, once again being a furry little traitor.

  “No one trusts me,” I said with fake sorrow as I turned the van around to face the driveway.

  “We know you’re an excellent driver and have unparalleled skills,” Liam said diplomatically as he grasped hold of the dashboard to brace himself. “But that doesn’t make it any less terrifying to be your passenger.”

  “You should have been in the van yesterday,” Yas said when I gunned it down the driveway. “I thought Nick was either going to pass out from fear, or cry like a little girl.”

  I snickered along with her, but decided not to put Liam through the same level of terror as his brother. I only trained with him every now and then rather than every day, so I didn’t owe him the same level of payback that the others deserved.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  APART FROM GIVING LIAM heart palpitations whenever I took what he saw as unacceptable risks with his life, we had an uneventful drive to Landsby. I stopped at the same spot as yesterday and Emma went to retrieve the rest of our team. Everyone piled into the van and I drove at a sedate pace to town.

  We drove directly to the old church instead of checking in with the sheriff first. The parking lot was devoid of cars when I stopped. I glanced at the hole in the roof to see it had been hastily patched as we headed for the woods. Yas had zoomed ahead of us and was waiting at the spot where we’d lost the trail.

  “How are we going to find the aliens?” Franko asked as he scanned the area. “They don’t seem to have a scent and Crowmon can’t follow the trail of magic now that it’s faded.”

  His tone was accusing, as if he thought it was the trickster’s fault we’d lost them. “That’s where you’re wrong, boyo,” Crowmon said smugly. “I was able to sense their magic when the creature blasted you across the yard with his power.” We all snickered at the memory of seeing the alpha tumbling across the yard. “It’s different from the magic that brought them here, but I think I might be able to follow it.”

  “Lead on,” Liam ordered and gestured for our consultant to go first.

  Yas chafed at the slow pace after a while. “It’ll take us weeks to find them at this rate,” she complained.

  “I can’t sense their trail if we rush blindly through the forest,” Crowmon said with a scowl. “If I lose it, it’ll just take us longer to find them.”

  Liam had wisely told us to pack food and water for the journey. Yas and I had both topped up on blood before going to bed last night, so we weren’t in any danger of growing weak. I munched on energy bars as we took a break about four hours into our search. Crowmon cast backwards and forwards after losing the trail for the twentieth time.

  “This is ridiculous,” the alpha hole muttered sourly. “How do we know the little man is even going in the right direction?”

  We’d been heading roughly northwest, but had altered our direction a few times by now. There were few signs of the supernatural beings’ presence, but we’d spotted their bare footprints every now and then. They were distinctive, because they only had four toes.

  “Do you want to take over, Agent Franko?” Crowmon asked in annoyance. “I’m sure your gigantic snout will be a far better tool to track the aliens with than my ability to sense magic.”

  Instantly insulted, Heath stared down his snout at him. “The only thing that’s gigantic about me is my-”

  “Ego,” Brynn cut in before he could mention his manhood. I burst into laughter at her dry tone and perfect timing. All of the team broke into snorts and giggles, except for the rookie, of course. He was clearly tired of being the brunt of our jokes, but we weren’t about to cut him any slack. He’d blown any chance of fitting in and being accepted as a member of our squad.

  We finish
ed our lunchbreak, then continued our search.

  It was late afternoon by the time Crowmon led us from the woods and through a huge field to a decrepit barn. A farmhouse and newer barn stood in the distance. We could hear some kids playing in the front yard, but we were too far away for them to notice us.

  “I can hear the aliens,” Yas said. She was using Nick for shade and her head was cocked to the side. I could hear them, too. Their voices were hushed, but frantic.

  “Leave your weapon holstered this time,” Liam ordered Franko. “If you shoot without me ordering you to, your gun will be confiscated from you.”

  The alpha couldn’t quite hide his sneer of contempt, but held his hands up innocently. “Whatever you say, boss.” He didn’t emphasize the word, but we all knew he felt nothing but scorn for our leader.

  “Yas, move into the shade before you start to smoke,” Liam said. “Don’t let them know you’re here. We’ll move in quietly and I’ll try to talk to them again.”

  The vampire vanished as soon as he finished speaking. I saw her appear next to the barn almost like magic. She gave us the thumbs up, then waited for us to reach her. Nick picked Crowmon up and we zoomed over to the barn. We approached it from the side rather than from the front where we could be seen.

  Liam motioned for us all to stay where we were, then held his hands up and walked over to the doors that hung off their hinges. The rest of us peered through cracks in the wall to see the silver-skinned beings huddled behind some old haybales. “Don’t be alarmed,” Liam said in a calm voice as he stepped into the building.

  The aliens stood up and prepared to flee, but Franko went on the move. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said as he blocked their escape and put his hand on the butt of his gun threateningly. Nick cursed beneath his breath and motioned for us to back him up as he ran to the entrance.

  Liam turned to give the alpha hole an exasperated look, then swiveled back to face our quarry. “We’re not going to hurt you this time,” he said with a scowl at Heath.

  The male alien had a makeshift bandage wrapped around his arm where he’d been shot. His partner had torn off a scrap of her shirt to make it. They were tired, desperate and even more terrified now. The female said something and gestured at me. Her mate shook his head in stubborn denial. Putting her hands on her hips, her expression and tone became exasperated.

  “Lover’s quarrel,” Syd joked while keeping her eye on Franko to make sure he wasn’t going to draw his gun.

  The male pointed at the alpha, then motioned at his wound. Clearly, he didn’t trust the rookie and I couldn’t blame him.

  “Agent Franko, return to the van,” Liam ordered.

  “Why?” Heath asked in annoyance.

  “Because they don’t trust you,” Nick said bluntly. “With you gone, they might be willing to communicate with us.”

  The alpha made no move to comply, so Liam flicked a look at Emma. My zombie leaped from my shoulder to Franko’s, then the pair sank into the ground.

  “That never gets old,” Yas said in satisfaction when Emma returned alone.

  “Where did she take him this time?” Brynn asked when I bent down to scoop up the squirrel.

  I saw the aliens gawking at us all in shock and figured they didn’t have zombies on their world. “Back to our local base again,” I replied.

  The female gestured at me again and her tone became insistent. Her partner nodded reluctantly, then crossed his arms with a sour expression. She crooked her finger at me and I looked at Liam. “What does she want?” I asked him nervously.

  “You, lass,” Crowmon said in amusement. “I believe she has a way to communicate with us and she’s chosen you to be our spokesperson.”

  “Go ahead,” Liam said reluctantly. He didn’t want to put me in danger, but it was clear the supernatural visitors weren’t much of a threat to us.

  Chapter Forty

  YAS STAYED BY MY SIDE as I hesitantly crossed to the far side of the barn. The vampire received wary looks, but I was the main object of their focus. I flinched when the female lifted her hand, but held still when she lightly touched the center of my forehead. I felt magic swell, then my tattoos flared bright red as a new spell was added to the mix.

  Gasping in agony, it was over almost before it began. Yas caught me by my elbow before I could drop to my knees. I staggered a step, then straightened up. “That hurt!” I muttered.

  “I apologize,” the female said. “I didn’t intend to harm you. My spell must have accidentally triggered that reaction.”

  “It’s okay,” I replied. “I’m kind of used to that happening.”

  “Holy crap! Alex can speak their language now!” Yas exclaimed in excitement.

  I realized I’d just spoken in their alien language and felt slightly disoriented. “Will I still be able to speak my own language?” I asked in alarm.

  The female smiled wearily. “Of course. You’ll be able to understand and speak to anyone who addresses you in any language now.”

  I goggled at her, realizing I’d just become an instant translator for our squad. “Why didn’t you cast the spell on yourself, or on your partner?” I asked.

  “The enchantment is forbidden,” she said, glancing around with a shiver. “I’m not even supposed to know it exists. If our enemies discovered I’d cast the spell on either of us, they’d torture us instead of just killing us.”

  Liam nudged me in the side. “What’s she saying?” he asked. He must have crossed to me when my tattoos had reacted to the spell. The others moved closer to observe as I repeated our conversation. “Tell them we mean them no harm and that I’m sorry Agent Franko shot the male,” Liam said.

  “I’m Alex,” I said rather than repeating his words. My name didn’t sound anything like normal when I spoke it. “Who are you?” She introduced them both, but their names were unpronounceable. I repeated my brother’s message and the male nodded stiffly.

  “Tell your leader he is forgiven,” he said.

  “Jack says you’re forgiven,” I told Liam.

  “His name is Jack?” Brynn asked incredulously.

  “No. I’m calling them Jack and Jill because their names don’t translate into English,” I explained.

  “You’re not exactly very original, are you?” Yas asked me pityingly.

  “Is there something wrong with that female?” Jill asked me, gesturing at the vampire.

  “There’s plenty wrong with her,” I said dourly. Yas put her hands on her hips, sensing I’d said something derogatory about her. “She’s allergic to sunlight,” I explained. “She has to wear the leather outfit to stop herself from burning to death.”

  “That is a very strange allergy,” Jack said suspiciously.

  “We would like to know how we came to be on your world,” Jill said cautiously.

  I told Liam what she’d said. “Tell them what we know,” he replied.

  “Something has been bringing beings and animals here from other dimensions,” I explained. “We aren’t sure what it is, but it might be an old god that was banished a long time ago.” They shared frightened glances at that news. “There could be a few of them,” I added with a grimace.

  “We felt strange magic surround us, then we were drawn here before we knew what was happening,” Jill told me.

  “The same thing happened to Crowmon,” I said and pointed at the deity. He didn’t recognize his name, since it came out sounding so strange, but he bowed in greeting.

  “He is a magic user,” Jack said. “We haven’t met anything like him before.”

  “He’s one of a kind,” I agreed with a grin.

  “What type of beings are you?” Jill asked me cautiously. “You’re different from the angry mob that chased us.”

  “Most of us are shapeshifters,” I replied and received blank stares. “We turn into various types of animals during the full moon.”

  “We’ve never heard of any creature having that ability before,” Jack said in awe.

  “The
mob who chased you are humans,” I added. “If they knew what we were, they’d try to kill us as well.”

  “Is the magic user a shapeshifter?” Jill queried.

  “No. He’s something else.” I wasn’t about to spill all of our secrets to aliens. If they were going to remain on our world, they had a right to know that there were other supernatural creatures here.

  “That female isn’t a shapeshifter,” Jack said with utter certainty, gesturing at Yasmine.

  Liam lifted his eyebrows when I looked at him. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “They want to know what we are. I told them we’re shifters, but they know Crowmon and Yas aren’t like us.”

  “We need to see the female’s face,” Jill said. I sensed her gathering her magic, but I wasn’t sure if she was going to attack us, or defend herself and her partner.

  “Take off the hood, Yas,” I requested.

  “You speak and I obey, master,” the vampire said wryly. She took her hood off and raked her gloved hand through her hair. “I know, I’m pretty hot,” she said to the pair who were staring at her fangs in fresh amazement.

  “What is she?” Jack asked. They’d both relaxed now that they could see her face. I wasn’t sure what they’d been expecting, but they’d deemed her not to be as much of a threat as they’d feared.

  I rubbed my nose while trying to think of an explanation that wouldn’t freak them out. “She’s a vampire,” I said at last, figuring it was best not to sugarcoat it. “She has to drink blood to survive,” I added when I received more blank stares.

  “She is your guardian?” Jill figured shrewdly.

  “Yeah. These spells prevent me from being able to attack people or defend myself very well,” I said, gesturing at my neck tattoo. “Yas watches out for me.”

  “It is good to have a protector,” Jill said in approval.

  “Why did you choose me to be our spokesperson?” I asked curiously.

  “Because of your spells,” she replied. “We weren’t sure what Crowmon was and we don’t trust him. You seem kind and you are the only other being we’ve met who is connected to magic. It was logical for us to choose you.”