by Sierra Cross
“Speaking of the amulet,” Liv said, and drew a Circle of Silence around us. “Maybe there’s no easy way to stop Tenebris at this point, but we can at least steal his thunder.”
“De-activate the amulet.” Asher stirred cream into his tea methodically. “It’s a thought.”
“Can we do that?” I asked as Ruth set my cheesy eggs and extra crispy hash browns down in front of me.
“Theoretically, yes,” Liv said. “Leonard said he made a copy of the incantation. It must either be at the comic book shop or his place.”
“And according to that mage, we only need two things.” Matt swung into problem-solving mode. “The girl’s ashes and Wes’s blood.”
“You might as well say we need unicorn dung and fairy dust,” I said.
“We can do this, team,” Matt said, and bit into a slice of thick-cut bacon.
“May I suggest we start with the one that doesn’t risk our blood?” Asher said.
“Okay, great. We can kill two birds with one stone. Search for the spell and the ashes,” I said. “But we have no idea where the mage stashed them.” Mentally I kicked myself for not making him tell us while we had him under the truth spell.
“Wait, he did say something about them.” Liv set down her mug, excited. “Didn't he say they were right on display? But people would be too stupid to know what they were looking at.”
Display. Of course, I thought. “The comic book shop!”
The comic book shop was nearly empty. The girl with the blue bangs and piercings slouched behind the counter, sneaking bites from her lunch of corn chips and Skittles, while the lone three customers perused the board game shelves. A flicker of recognition crossed her face at the sight of us, but she didn’t give any sign she saw us as more than past customers.
“Let me know if you need help with anything,” she said cheerily. I was guessing not having Leonard around had improved the work environment considerably.
Liv and Matt pretended to look at card games, while Asher dug his hand into a jar of loose dice as if examining their quality. Meanwhile, I scanned the shop and zeroed in on the display cases. One of the three cases was larger than the others, and had a spotlight shelf. The devious eyes of the Harley Quinn collectible statue looked at me, daring me to come closer. I walked over and pressed my face up to the glass. Behind the Harley statue was its brightly colored packaging. Of course. The most prominent spot in the store. Leonard’s arrogance knew no bounds.
“Excuse me,” I called to the shop girl. “Could we see this one?”
She broke into a grin. “That is the best Harley Quinn I’ve ever seen,” she gushed, and walked right over with the keys. “Did you notice the detail on the dagger hilts?”
A woman after my own heart. Too bad she was going to be royally pissed at us in a minute.
She unlocked the case and handed me the figurine. I passed it to Matt and grabbed the box from the case.
“You need to be super careful with that. If the box isn’t in pristine shape, the value—” The girl gasped as I opened the flap. “You can’t do that!”
I reached inside and pulled out a small canvas sack. It was heavy for its size. I swallowed sadness at the thought that a young woman’s life had been reduced to this. Underneath the sack were a few folded pages on which someone had scrawled magical characters. The deactivation spell.
“Hey!” the blue-haired girl protested. Then she frowned at the canvas bag. “What the heck is that?” She sounded more curious than angry now.
“Thanks.” Clutching the bag and the pages, I nodded at Matt. He put the statue back in the case and the two of us headed for the exit. Liv and Asher followed suit.
“Wait!” the counter girl yelled after us. “You can’t take that! Come back!” She scurried up behind us. “I’m going to call the cops!”
Asher stopped at the doorway, turned and pulled his gloves off. He brought a harmless spray of sparks to his fingertips and flicked them at her. “Boo!”
The girl gasped and froze, but stopped yelling about calling the police.
Fiona opened Bonaventura’s front door, clearly not happy to see the four of us.
It probably didn’t help that we were in our fighting gear, more for appearances than anything else. My dagger harness was full and comforting, though I knew of little use in this situation.
We were here for Wes’s blood, one of the two vital ingredients in deactivating the amulet.
At first Bonaventura responded well to Matt’s phone call informing him we were coming over shortly and that if Wes wasn’t there when we arrived we’d share the secret he’d been keeping with the whole Council.
Asher, the only one of us who could decipher the spell, had delivered the bad news that, to deactivate the amulet, we had to be within approximately one hundred yards of the bearer. Even though we couldn’t deactivate the amulet now, we had to be ready when we found Tenebris. All four of us had agreed that we’d be willing to go to the ends of the earth to stop that vile Caedis.
Fiona led us to the empty study, closed the doors behind us, and practically tiptoed out. Once again we were alone with the eighteenth century portraits.
“I never noticed this one before.” Liv squinted at the picture of Bonaventura. “Is that…?”
“Yep, it’s who you think.” Asher said.
The more time ticked by the more pissed off I got. Had Bonaventura boned us? Spirited his murdering son away to some far flung corner of the world, out of our grasp?
It wasn’t just that we needed Wes’s blood. I wanted a piece of that vampire for all the nightmares he’d unleashed.
The doors slid open and the Director walked in, with Wes trailing behind him…in chains. Heavy, iron chains. Bruises bloomed on the younger vampire’s face and blood dripped from angry gashes. He didn’t voluntarily let himself be chained up.
“So nice to meet with the whole of your coven this time,” Bonaventura said with a little bow as if his son weren’t standing there bloodied and in chains. Of course, he said the word coven like we were a joke. Seriously, what was with these close-minded people?
“We need to be ready to break Tenebris’s link to the amulet when we find him,” I said, pulling no punches. “And we need Wes’s blood to make that happen.”
Bonaventura’s face showed no hint of a reaction. “I assume you have the ashes of the original sacrifice.”
I held up the canvas sack. “Now all we need is his blood.”
“And we’re going to take it.” A vein on Matt’s neck was throbbing. His guardian righteousness barely contained. “With or without your permission.”
The Director’s nostrils flared. “No one’s touching my son.”
“Either step aside, or we go through you.” Asher flicked his hands. Magic ignited on his fingertips.
With a sweep of his powerful arm, the vampire threw Asher aside like an old newspaper. The warlock flew up against the wall and landed with a grunt, shaken, but unharmed.
Bonaventura let out a guttural moan, like a wounded animal, and spun, his fingers dragging across his son’s neck, ripping a jagged wound. A river of thick blood gushed from the gaping chasm. “I assume you brought something to collect the blood in?” Bonaventura asked, once again composed.
We looked at each other. We’d been so sure Bonaventura would put up a fight. A vessel for the blood was the one thing we’d forgotten.
Wes was making wet smacking sounds as the blood rushed from his throat and ran out his lips.
“Get the teacup from my desk,“ Bonaventura said, annoyed, and Liv ran to grab it.
“Along with everything else he is, he is my son.” The vampire took a weary seat behind his desk as Liv did the gruesome task of filling the cup. If he was feeling any emotion, it was buried so deep I couldn’t see it. “Griffin!” Bonaventura yelled and the sulking, disheveled vampire stepped into the room. “See to your brother.”
“Yes, sir, father,” the vampire said, eyes full of pain and anger. He picked up Wes and
threw him over his shoulder.
“And what happens to your son after this?” Matt asked.
“He’ll be in Europe…convalescing,” the Director said.
“Completely unacceptable,” Asher said. “He deserves to be locked up.”
“Those witches were slaughtered,” I added.
“The Omni will be hunted for that.” Bonaventura waved him off.
“You and I both know there’s more to the Omni’s story.” Why did I feel oddly protective of the rogue shifter? Those kids…
“It would’ve been hunted anyway. There is no way to stop that.” The vampire waved his hand in the air dismissively. “This is the deal. You will deposit those ashes on my desk and you will leave this house. Wes was correct about one thing. Vampires will handle vampire matters.” He took out a crisp linen handkerchief and wiped his hands. “We will be the ones to track the demon and recover the amulet.”
I was so angry I couldn’t speak. That Caedis was ours to take down. We were the ones he’d taken the most from. I’d be damned if I let this pedantic bloodsucker steal that right from us.
“But you need us,” Liv said. “You need a spellcaster.”
“If and when I desire your services I will seek them out. Now you will go. And your coven will never mention anything of the dealings with me or my son. The usurper of the amulet will forever be a mystery.”
Matt and Asher looked at each other and nodded, no doubt deducing that in a house full of vampires we had no other choice. Maybe they were right, but I hated this deal. Hated. It. It seemed wrong that one man, Kavon, should bear the blame for what Wes did. Hell, for what I did under Tenebris’s influence. I wanted the whole truth to come out, even if meant I’d have to sit in a prison cell for crossing Tenebris over. But condemning myself wouldn’t save Kavon. As if sensing my inner debate, Matt put a comforting hand on my shoulder. The heat of his fingers sending tingles to my core. “We should accept his terms.”
“It’s the only way, Alix,” Liv said. “We have so much work we need to do. And only the Coven of Fire can do it.”
I held the ashes over his desk, but stopped before releasing them. “We’ll take your deal on one condition,” I said. “You owe us a favor, to be collected at a time of our choosing.”
Asher raised his eyebrow in approval and looked to the vamp for his response.
“Nonnegotiable,” I added.
Bonaventura looked at me like something he wanted to scrape off the bottom of his shoe. “Done.” He spat the word out.
“And another thing. My coven is a kickass, magical force to be reckoned with. When you speak of it, you will do so with respect.” I dropped the ashes on the desk like a mic drop.
Several hours later, I sat down in a dentist’s chair from the sixties in an old house that had been converted into the Blue Geisha Tattoo Parlor. Magnificent, fierce art—sketches on tracing paper, oil paintings, photographs—covered every surface around me. A massive saltwater fish tank bubbled in the corner. Its blue light and iridescent colors complimented the art on the walls.
We’d changed into street clothes. Asher, Matt, Liv, and I were in different rooms all getting the same ink, which Asher had enchanted. It would serve the same purpose as the coven necklaces did—increasing our connection, strengthening our magical bond, tying us all together. Matt was getting his on his chest, Liv her hip, Asher his back because just about everywhere else was taken up. Me, I was getting mine on my bicep. Our designs matched, but were not identical. Which I felt was fitting.
The needle hammered into my skin, ink pooling on the surface before the tattoo artist wiped it away. It burned like a lit match against my skin. A month ago, this would have hurt. But I’d toughened up a lot. This was nothing compared to demon blasts or the piercing song of the Malum Osmium or the silent screaming pain of being controlled by Caedis magic. The mechanical whine of the tattoo needle filled my ears as the scrolling words were indelibly drawn across my skin.
Coven of Fire.
“Nice job, guardian,” Asher teased. “I only heard you whimper once.” Matt gave him an “as if” eye roll. They both had their shirts off. Each a study in male perfection, yet so different from each other. Matt’s shoulders were broad and well-muscled. The angry red skin under the scrolling tattoo the only ink that marked his bronze skin. Asher’s long rockstar-lean torso was covered by tattoos that only he and I knew the meaning of.
It bugged me that we still had a few coven secrets.
Liv had pulled the waistband of her skinny jeans low on her hips so it didn’t hit her tattoo. She pulled her shirt up showing the new tat to the left of her belly button. “We are a thing of beauty,” she said, looking from the ink on my arm to Matt and Asher.
Tears welled at the corners of my eyes. This was my coven, my family.
“You were right, Alix,” Liv said. “We’re a kickass coven.”
“I think this is cause for celebration.” Swallowing the lump in my throat.
“Yeah, it’s been one hell of a week. I could use a drink or three,” Matt said and pulled his Nirvana T-shirt back on. He was so proud of that thrift-store “find.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a knockoff from Target, not an authentic 90s concert shirt.
“You must like us,” Liv teased Matt. “Really like us.”
“What would give you that idea?” Matt teased back.
“You got a tattoo and didn’t even whine about it.”
“I don’t whine.”
“You don’t tattoo either,” she said, smiling.
Sanctum was at capacity. The bass thumped in a rhythmic pulse, bodies bouncing with the beat, packed in shoulder to shoulder. The place looked good. The crowd tight, no entitled bros tonight. It felt good.
Emma snagged us a booth in the corner. Liv threw a spell over the table, allowing us to hear each other despite the music and the rowdy crowd. My left side was pressed up against Matt as I leaned in to our group conversation. The heat that radiated between our bodies was more than temperature.
“I’m sorry,” I said, bringing the jokes to a screeching halt. “All this shit with Tenebris’s magic inside me has been a nightmare. And what I did back there…”
“You were under his control,” Liv said. “We knew that the whole time.”
“You told us to watch you. You were straight up about it,” Asher said. “I feel like it’s my fault. I let you down by not doing that.”
I shook my head. “No. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault but mine,” I said. “The night we sent Tenebris back, I shouldn’t have done magic without understanding the consequences. And I had no business opening the trunk and going anywhere near that amulet. But I get it now. The responsibility that comes with this destiny. I promise to be more careful in the future. Less impulsive,” I wasn’t sure I could forgive myself, but maybe I could make up for this?
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Matt said. “We like you just the way you are, impulsivity and all.”
“Besides, you were punished enough.” Liv’s mouth twisted in revulsion. “I saw that kiss. Yuck.”
As I remembered the truly horrible, longer kiss that none of them saw, a shudder ran through me. Matt leaned in and put his hand on my thigh. Just that small touch revived me.
“But you were able to break free,” Liv said. “If she can do it, there has to be a way we can get Callie back.” The force of her need to save our coven sister registered on all my senses. Had she been thinking about this nonstop since yesterday?
“Liv, it’s not the same,” Asher said gently. “Alix was always aware. She was never completely lost.”
“How do you know it isn’t the same for Callie?” Liv argued. “Maybe she’s in there, waiting for us to rescue her?”
At that thought, my heart broke. I was captured for mere hours and the stain of it still plagued me. I couldn’t imagine having to go through that for weeks. It’d be worse than death.
“Sometimes you’re too late to come to the rescue.” Asher fished the or
ange memory stone from his pocket and rolled it across his gloved hand. The bar light shone through the small globe, reflecting on his face. “Sometimes you need to just let go.” He stuffed the stone back into his pocket.
“I’m not giving up on her,” Liv insisted. “I won’t. I’ll read every book in your library if I have to. I’ll find a way.”
Asher slowly nodded. “I’ll help.” He clearly wasn’t optimistic, but at least he was letting Liv have the dream…for the moment anyway.
“We’ll all help, Liv,” I added.
“Even you can pitch in,” Asher said to Matt, who raised an eyebrow.
“Of course. I’m your guardian.” Matt took his hand from my leg, his spine straightening.
“No, that’s not what I mean.” Asher laughed. I knew exactly where he was headed with this. “Your weird witchy-ness. It may give the coven just the edge we need.”
I knew Asher thought he was making a harmless joke. But I felt Matt’s body go rigid next to me.
“Asher,” Liv jokingly reprimanded him. “At least call it warlock magic.”
“No, it’s witchy,” Asher said, almost seductively.
“Shut the hell up, warlock.” Matt ground his teeth. God, I wanted this conversation to end now. Nothing good would come of it.
“Hey, we’re in this together.” Asher slammed his glass to the table. “We’re a coven—not my fondest dream either. So, you have witch’s blood in you. Deal with it and move on. We have vital work to do and there’s no one else to do it.”
Matt swallowed a wave of emotion and gave a small nod. He put his hand back on my thigh and raised his other hand to order another round for the table. I exhaled about a day’s worth of breath. Was it possible Asher’s words had broken through some of Matt’s layers of denial? Had it made a difference? Was he any closer to accepting what he was?
When Emma set the fresh drinks on the table, Matt raised his fresh beer. “Here’s to having a favor from the vampires in our back pocket.”