by Linsey Hall
“Heck yeah.” The last thing I remembered was falling out of the sky after killing the last Fate, but I didn’t have any broken bones that I could feel. Just some aches from the sonic booms. “Did you catch me?”
“Barely.” He grinned, then helped me stand.
All around, the bodies of the demons were disappearing. My sisters limped over, looking bruised and bloodied.
“So, you’re a bird now,” Bree said.
“Yep. Do you not remember me turning back time as the Battle Crow?”
She rubbed her head. “Maybe? It feels like a dream though. I can’t be sure if it’s right.”
“Same.” Rowan’s brow furrowed, as if she were trying to remember.
That made sense. When I’d turned back time, I’d made it so that they’d never lived the moment when they’d seen me turn. But maybe some of their subconscious remembered. Somehow.
I turned my gaze toward the battlefield, looking for the rest of my friends. Everyone on the walls was cheering, thank fates, which I took to mean that there were no deaths back there. The demons had never breached the walls, apparently.
Though there were injuries on the battlefield, everyone was upright, staggering around and searching the demon bodies for valuables like transport charms.
Muffin fluttered over to me. We did it!
Princess Snowflake III and Bojangles followed, delight sparkling in their eyes. They loved a good battle.
“I think we did.” I still couldn’t believe it was over.
“I bet this means you’ll graduate from the Academy.” Bree grinned wide. “Saving the day tends to do that.”
I smiled. That would be pretty good, actually. I had come into my power, after all. Hopefully Jude agreed that I’d earned it. Speaking of earned it. We needed a party.
I looked at my sisters and Lachlan. “I think we need to celebrate.”
The party went down at the Whisky and Warlock pub later that night. Everyone’s injuries were tended to and the defenses around the wall shored up.
By night time, we were all partying in the crowded little pub in the Grassmarket. Edinburgh was lit up at night, the lights twinkling outside of the windows.
Inside, the fire burned merrily, and most of the Protectorate members crowded around the little tables and chairs. All of the cursed tattoos were gone, and everyone was here. The Cats of Catastrophe had called a truce with the Pugs of Destruction for the evening, and they all sat in front of the warm fire. Muffin was making eyes at Kitty, the black cat who lived in the pub, and I wished him the best of luck. Even the FireSouls and their men had stayed, raising a glass to our victory against the Fates.
Sophie had given me a glass of bubbly pink champagne, while Bree drank her frothy pink cocktail called Witch’s Rebellion. Rowan leaned into me and stole a sip of my drink.
“Hey, where’s yours?”
She grinned. “Need a refill.” She hugged me. “You did good, sis.”
“Not bad, huh?” I was pretty pleased with how it had all turned out. No deaths made it a major victory. I turned to look at Lachlan. He sat next to me on the bench against the wall. “How are you doing?”
He wrapped an arm around me and tugged me closer to his side. “Perfect, now that I’m with you.”
I snuggled closer to him. We hadn’t had The Talk about where this was going, but it was clear it was about to get more serious. You didn’t survive what we had, plus confess love, and not get more serious.
On the far side of the room, Lavender met my eyes and raised her glass. We might never be friends, but we were definitely more cordial now.
“Excuse me, everyone!” Jude’s voice rose over the noise of partying Protectorate members. Her blue eyes sparkled and her dark skin glowed in the light of the fire. “I have an announcement to make.”
The room quieted down, and everyone shifted forward, eager to hear what Jude had to say.
“We had a great victory today, thanks in no small part to one of our newest recruits, Ana Blackwood.” She raised her glass to me. “Thank you, Ana. Quite simply, you saved the day.”
Everyone cheered, glasses raised.
My heart warmed.
“You’ve come into your magic,” Jude continued. “And accomplished something that few of our number ever have. As such, I’d like to announce that you have finished your time at the Academy and will be added to my unit, the Paranormal Investigative Team.”
I grinned and looked at Bree. I’d be joining her team.
The crowd cheered as Jude finished her toast, but I didn’t hear much more than that. I leaned closer to Lachlan and looked around the room, taking in the sight of my friends and allies.
I couldn’t believe how far I’d come since my time in Death Valley, when my sisters and I had been scrabbling for a living. We’d found a real home here, and a family.
I reached for Bree and Rowan’s hands and squeezed. I was the luckiest girl in the world.
~~~
Thank you for reading Ana’s stories! The adventure continues with Rowan. Click here to check it out or turn the page to read an excerpt of her first book!
Gods of Magic Preview
The alley stank of dark magic and death. I crouched behind a trash can with my sister Bree, trying to breathe shallowly. Black magic swirled on the air, almost invisible but obvious from its stench.
“Remind me what the heck we’re doing here, Rowan?” Bree asked.
“You keep poking into my business, so I’ll show you.” I peered out onto the darkened street. We were in The Vaults, the underground dark magic district of Edinburgh. The twisty-turny cobblestone streets were located right below Edinburgh Castle, and if one were inclined, they could find all manner of dark magic there.
But I wasn’t inclined to find dark magic.
I was inclined to find a murderer.
I shifted, trying to keep my black leather boots out of the mucky puddle, and debated if we should actually be on a different street altogether.
“How’d you know to come here?” Bree whispered from beside me. “Doesn’t look particularly murderous.”
Without removing my gaze from the street, I dug into my pocket and withdrew the little slip of paper, then passed it to Bree.
This had to be the correct alley. Right?
Paper rustled as Bree opened the note. I could hear the frown in her voice. “It says to come to the crossroads of Evil and Despair, and there you will stop a murder.” I glanced over to see her gaze shoot toward mine. Her dark hair glinted in the light, and her black leather jacket helped her blend with the shadows, just like mine did. “Who the heck sent this to you?”
Actually, that was a second mystery I needed to figure out. “I don’t know. But I can’t ignore it, can I?”
She frowned. “No, I guess not.”
“Exactly.”
“But it’s dangerous.”
I shot her a scowl. Bree had so much magic that she was basically a god. A Dragon God who had fully come into her power, to be precise. She had been gifted the powers of the Norse gods, a transaction made possible by dragon magic. She had more than a dozen powers. Our world was full of magic, and Bree was one of the most gifted of all.
Me?
Not so much.
I had basically no power—not anymore, at least—but that didn’t mean I’d turn away from something dangerous. Especially if it meant stopping a murder.
My glare worked, and Bree got the point. Contrition flashed on her face. “Sorry.”
“I know.” She worried because she loved me, but it still stung. Not only did I have Bree, my mega-powerful sister, I also had Ana, my second mega-powerful sister. I loved them so much that I’d die for them, but it was still a little tough to live in their shadows.
I shoved the thought way.
That way lay madness. And I wasn’t here to mope about my crappy magic. I was here to stop a murder.
Only two people could possibly know a crime was about to go down—the perpetrator or a seer. I reall
y hoped my info came from a seer.
I fingered the dagger strapped to my thigh and frowned. The crossroads of Evil and Despair, the note had said. “This street is named Evil and this alley is called Despair, but I don’t think it’s the right location.”
“How do you know?” Bree asked.
“Just feels wrong. Too quiet.” Maybe it was instinct. I had pretty good instincts after learning how to operate in a magical world without magic.
Unbeknownst to humans, the world was full of magic. Shifters, Magica, vampires, and demons all existed right under their noses, either walking in disguise or sticking to all-magic cities and neighborhoods. The Great Peace, the most powerful bit of magic ever created, hid us from human eyes. They could see us but not our magic—which we tried not to use around them anyway.
Edinburgh had one of the biggest all-magic neighborhoods in the world, located right in the Grassmarket. The Vaults, where we were currently located, was situated right next to the Grassmarket and stuffed full to the gills with dark magic and questionable individuals.
“Don’t you have class in the morning?” Bree asked. “Should you be out so late?”
I scowled at her. “Off topic.”
“Not really. You’re about to officially start at the Undercover Protectorate’s Academy of Magic, and you can’t miss class.”
I huffed. The Undercover Protectorate was a secret organization dedicated to protecting vulnerable supernaturals and keeping magic in check. My two sisters and I lived at their castle headquarters in the Scottish Highlands, and they were both full members. Six months ago, Bree and Ana rescued me from five years of captivity—just the memory made me shudder—so I lived there with them.
To fully join the Protectorate, you had to pass their Academy. The only reason I even had a chance at starting at the Academy was because Bree and Ana had gone there and done so well.
Except I currently had no magic, so I was the pity add.
I’d done a few informal classes there, but tomorrow was my first full, official day. Considering that I’d lost all my power during my captivity, class was going to be a doozy. I was damned good with weapons and potions and never, ever gave up, but even that wasn’t going to get me through.
I ignored the thought and focused on the street in front of me. On the possible murder that was about to occur.
This I could control. With my actions here, maybe I could do some good.
“I won’t miss class,” I said. “And I have to do this.”
“This isn’t the first note you’ve gotten, is it?” Bree asked.
“No. I’ve gotten a few others, slipped right under my door. The first was a robbery. I thought it was crap, but it wasn’t. I went to the assigned place and time, and stopped old Mr. Amos from having all his pygmy toads stolen.”
“The old guy who has the shop at the entrance to The Vaults?”
“Yep. Then it was stopping an arms deal, and a black magic mob beating. But this is the first time one of the notes said murder.” And now I was definitely sure we were at the wrong place. It’d been too long, and it was too quiet. I stood. “Come on. We’ve got to try Option B.”
“What’s that?” Bree whispered as we hurried out onto the street.
“There’s a shop called Evil and a bar called Despair located right on a little square at the back of The Vaults. Maybe it’ll happen there.”
“You sure know this place well,” Bree said.
It’d taken a lot of practice to learn the ins and outs of The Vaults, but it had paid off. I’m still alive, right?
But there was another reason, too, one I didn’t want to share. Not even with my sister.
I liked the place. Something in the darkened streets reached into my soul and soothed. I shouldn’t have liked such a place, one that was full of dark magic and evil.
But I did.
I hadn’t always been that way. On bad nights, I thought that something in my soul was changing, maybe. Turning dark.
I shivered and shoved the thought away.
We headed down the street, a narrow cobblestone affair that had been built hundreds of years ago. The Vaults had been carved right out of the huge cliff beneath Edinburgh Castle. The old buildings down there were pressed cheek by jowl, each rising about three stories tall. Though they looked like they were built of regular materials, they were actually carved right from the rock itself.
We passed a trio of shops that sold potions, each looking nastier than the last. Bottles full of acid-green liquid lined the window of the first shop, while a massive cauldron bubbled away in the second. The third had windows that were entirely blacked out, and that was scariest of all.
And though it was scary, something in me liked it.
Nope. Don’t think about it.
There were still a lot of people out and about despite the late hour. Every magical being in the world had a signature—something that hit up one or more of the five senses—and most of the people down here had gross signatures. Dark magic came with disgusting scents, sounds, and tastes. The smell of burning tires or the taste of rotten meat, that kind of thing.
I didn’t make eye contact as we slipped by mages and shifters who would spit on us as soon as talk to us. Bree stuck close to me, eyeing everyone suspiciously. They would have no idea how powerful she was, since she suppressed a lot of her signature.
I didn’t blame her. Better to fly under the radar. We’d spent most of our childhood running from the Rebel Gods, a fanatical cult that had hunted us because we were Dragon Gods. It’d taught us to be wary and try to blend in with our surroundings.
They’d eventually captured me, keeping me prisoner for five horrible years. But now I was free. I’d lost my gift of telekinesis and had no magic left, but I was free.
Free.
I focused on that, determined not to fall into the darkness.
I skirted around a witch selling fortunes, then hurried toward the back of The Vaults.
“It’s quieter back here,” Bree said.
“Yeah. Perfect for a murder.” I slowed as we neared the bar called Despair, then slipped into an alley nearby. The small cobblestone square was surrounded on all sides by old three-story buildings. Across the square, the shop named Evil stood quiet and empty. Stars sparkled overhead, but they were just an enchantment. There was only rock above us since we were underground, with the castle sitting on top of that.
Bree and I crouched in the alley, sticking to the shadows. The darkness soothed me, which was both weird and probably bad.
“It’s here. I can feel it,” I whispered.
There was no commotion, no blood, no body. It hadn’t happened yet, thank fates. Damned if I’d let the murder actually happen.
Why had I been chosen for this, though? Why would they give me—No-Magic Rowan—this clue?
I peered into the darkness, searching each doorway and alley that led off the square. “You see anything? Hear anything?”
“Nothing unusual.”
“Good.” One of Bree’s gifts was enhanced senses. The Norse god Heimdall had given them to her.
Theoretically, there was a Pantheon of gods out there waiting to give me their magic, too, just like they had with Bree and Ana.
But it hadn’t happened.
Maybe I wasn’t worthy.
Maybe it was the darkness I could feel growing slowly inside me.
Nope. Not going to think about it.
If I didn’t think about it, maybe it wasn’t real. Maybe I was even imagining it.
A shout sounded from an alley across the way. I stiffened, my fingers tingling where they touched the hilt of the dagger sheathed at my thigh.
Next to me, Bree leaned forward, peering into the dark. “Two people. Young men. Pissed, from the sound of it.”
I grinned at the British slang. Pissed equaled drunk. We might live in Scotland now, but our roots were in Death Valley, California. We’d only been in Scotland about six months, but we were already changing to fit it.
&nb
sp; At the other side of the small square, the shadows shifted. “See that?”
Bree squinted in that direction. “A man. Big. He’s—”
The two drunk men we’d heard stumbled into the alley at that point, cutting her off. They were young. No older than us, and we were only twenty-three. Laughing and joking, they turned toward Despair, their eyes glued to the bright lights in the windows.
Movement from the roofs caught my eye, and I glanced up. Demons jumped down, at least six of them. Each was armed to the teeth, with massive horns spearing the sky. They were a variety of species—all sizes and shapes—and their dark magic rolled off them, stinking of sulfur and death. I didn’t recognize any of their species, which meant I wouldn’t know what magic they were going to throw at us.
In the sky above, a creature cawed, loud and fierce.
“A bird?” Bree flashed confused eyes toward me.
“What the heck is a bird doing underground?” I looked up, then gasped. It had to be the size of a car. “It’s freaking huge.”
The massive creature dived, headed for the two men in the middle of the square. It didn’t look exactly like a bird. In fact, its image flickered so much it was hard to tell what it was. The demons surrounded the men, but the creature was headed right for them.
Bree looked up. “I’ve got this.”
Magic swirled around her as her silver wings flared from her back. In addition to having the magic of the Norse gods, she was a Valkyrie. It came with some pretty sweet perks. She leapt into the sky, her huge wings carrying her toward the massive winged beast. She drew her sword as she flew.
As awesome as it was to watch Bree fight, I had to stop these demons. There were six of them. Possibly too many for me to fight without magic, but I had my potions.
I drew a potion bomb from the sack at my side, and I hurled it at the nearest demon. It exploded against his back, blue liquid splashing everywhere.
He roared, then fell flat on his face, the paralyzing potion freezing his muscles until he couldn’t move.
The two young men stood frozen in the middle as I raced out, sprinting for the demons who were closing in on them. I drew another blue potion bomb—I color coded them according to spell—and hurled it at another demon.