Part of me wished I hadn’t. Luca had his arms wrapped around Jack’s torso from behind, holding the unconscious man up effortlessly, while his fangs were sunk deep in his throat. His eyes were directed at us though, like a predator keeping an eye on challenges on his prey. They shone like emerald lights in the dark.
I glanced around for threats he might have perceived, but everything was secure. Ashley had Ida on the ground, fangs holding her throat lightly. If Ida tried anything funny, the wolf would bite through.
No one seemed injured, but Rupert was leaning on Amber exhausted. The shot must have gone wide.
Giselle walked gently closer to Luca, her hands in front of her in a calming gesture. “I think you’ve had enough, Luca,” she said in an even tone. “Let him go.”
At first it looked like he wouldn’t comply. Then the fangs retreated, and he lifted his head, licking his lips.
“Mmm … mage’s blood.” His voice was a low purr unlike I’d never heard from him before. It made the small hairs in my body stand. “That’ll keep me for a year.”
He licked the bite wounds on Jack’s throat and they disappeared, as if they’d never been there. Then he lowered Jack to the ground, surprisingly gently, and stepped aside. Only then did I see that he was wearing what had to be Ashley’s clothing, they were so large on him.
“What did I miss?”
Relieved laughter filled the night, as we all let go of the tension that had kept us in its grip for hours. We’d survived. Mostly unscathed too, if you didn’t count the bruises on my body and Kane’s burns.
I turned to him. He was smiling brightly, his deep blue eyes shining. Our gazes met, and he pulled me against him. I barely realised what was happening when he already lifted me closer and kissed me. Properly.
I was so stunned I didn’t have a chance to react, and then it was over, and he pulled away.
I was flustered, but I refused to behave like a maiden, so I smiled. “I’m happy you’re all right.”
“It was a close shave.” He smiled too. “If Ashley hadn’t kept Ida in check until I gained consciousness, who knows what would’ve happened.”
I glanced at where the wolf was still holding Ida down, reluctant to release her, despite Giselle’s best efforts. My heart warmed and I felt tears prick my eyes.
Kane patted my shoulder, more formal again. “It’s been a long night. Let’s go home.”
“Not so fast,” Rupert stated. “There’s the matter of your succession to consider.”
Kane pulled straight, wincing when it made his burns hurt. “I’m not going anywhere, so I don’t need a successor.”
“Yes, you are. You’ll become my apprentice like you should have done years ago. Blackhart is still out there, and I’ll be damned if we’re not ready to face him when he returns.” He held his hands up when Kane looked like he would argue. “You’re by far the best mage of your generation, and indeed the whole of London. You will not waste it on bureaucracy.”
Giselle nodded. “Rupert is right. We need you as the future archmage more than we need you as the council leader.”
“But who’ll lead the council?” he asked, bewildered. “None of my challengers have succeeded so far.”
Rupert pointed at Amber, who stepped back in surprise. “She will. I’m amazed you haven’t thought of it before now.”
“The reason being that I haven’t wanted to,” Amber said dryly, but Rupert glared her from under his brows.
“Start wanting it, because that’s how it’ll be.”
Giselle patted her wife’s arm, looking proud. “You’ll be brilliant.”
I thought so too, but since this didn’t require my input, I kept my mouth shut.
Amber wasn’t backing down. “On one condition. You’ll get a proper housekeeper and let Jones retire.”
Rupert glared at her. “Fine. I want Giselle.”
“Not going to happen. She’s mine.”
Giselle smiled. “I can come on Sundays to cook for you. For the rest, you’ll hire someone permanent.”
That pleased him and he nodded. “But no one annoying. I won’t have anyone meddlesome in my home.”
Shaking her head exasperatedly, Amber gave in. “Fine. If Archibald is willing?”
He ran fingers through his hair in indecision. “I hadn’t thought to become an archmage, but Rupert is right. We need to prepare for Blackhart. If there’s no one better…?” He gave Rupert a questioning look, and the old man shook his head.
“In that case, I agree.” He turned to Amber with a challenging smile on his face and spread his arms. “But I’ll be damned if I just concede.”
Amber laughed, and with a flicker of her hand rendered him immobile. Then she pulled straight and there was power in her voice when she spoke:
“In front of these witnesses, I challenged you for the leadership of the council of mages, yes?”
“Yes,” Kane answered with a steady voice.
“In front of these witnesses, my challenge was accepted, yes?”
“Yes.”
“And in front of these witnesses, I won and you lost, yes?”
Kane smiled. “Yes.”
“As I free you, you agree not to challenge me again during this cycle?”
“I agree.”
“I am now the leader of the council of mages, yes?”
“Yes.”
The world shook as the spell took hold. Power filled Amber, lifting her wildly curling hair, and making her pale blue eyes shine with an inner light. She stretched her fingers wide and tiny bolts of lightning shot between them.
“Wow,” she said when everything settled down. “That was quite a rush.”
Kane offered her his hand and they shook. “You’ll make a great leader,” he assured her. “Congratulations.”
We all went to her, one by one hugging her. Her body buzzed against mine, as if it were charged with electricity.
“Well,” she said when we’d settled down. “I guess we’d best head home, then.”
“What should we do with Ida and Jack?” I asked, and she shook her head as if she’d forgotten about them.
“We’re not in the business of incarcerating people, but they shouldn’t go unpunished.”
She went to Ida, who was still guarded by Ashley, but a signal from her made the wolf retreat and sit down next to her.
“You are free to go, but you will not be able to perform magic in London anymore.”
It was mild, as far as punishments went. Kane had threatened to rob mages of their magic for less. But that would render them useless for Blackhart’s plans. Ida seemed to understand it, because her mouth tightened, but she nodded.
“So be it.” She got up. “May I take Jack with me?”
Amber nodded, and Ida levitated Jack’s prone form up. But instead of heading down the path, she went to the crypt. They would be out of London in no time.
My shoulders slumped in relief when the door closed behind them. “I hope that was the last we’ll see of them.”
Everyone nodded, but we wouldn’t be holding our breath.
Amber and Giselle took Rupert home in Kane’s car, and Kane went with them. Luca and I headed to Ashley’s car farther down the street, having found the keys in the pocket of her clothes he was wearing. We were leaning heavily against each other for support. I was exhausted and he was drunk on Jack’s blood, which made our journey slow and rather meandering. The wolf loped so close she brushed my legs from time to time, threatening to trip me.
I reached a hand and rubbed her ears. She let me, as evidenced by the fact that I got to keep my hand.
At the car, we let Ashley into the back, and I took the wheel. Luca climbed into the passenger seat.
“Shouldn’t you sit in the back, so I won’t repulse you?”
He gave it a thought. “No. I don’t know if it’s the mojo from the mage’s blood or what, but you don’t repulse me anymore. I think the spell’s been broken.”
As I started the car, I wondered
if that could be true. And if it was, how it had come to be? I hoped it didn’t mean Jack was dead. He’d made my life difficult, but I didn’t wish him dead for it. But Blackhart needed his sacrifice, and he might do.
The other thought, that a kiss would have broken it, was too much to contemplate, so I didn’t.
“Well, I’m glad to see it gone, even if it saved my life.”
Luca grinned. “Saved by the repulsion spell. Who would’ve thought that?”
Who indeed?
Epilogue
Olivia called me the next day and told me the wedding was back on.
“It must’ve been some sort of brain episode like you said, because he remembered everything this morning and came back, so sweetly apologetic that I naturally forgave him. He had a cat-scan, and even though it didn’t reveal anything alarming, we both agreed that we should get married as fast as possible.”
I was happy for them, even though part of me wanted to reveal that they’d been manipulated into marrying. Their love had to be real anyway, as it couldn’t be created by magic.
I wondered if the spell had broken because Jack had died, or because Ida had made him break it. I hoped the latter.
The wedding was held on Saturday the next week, and it was a much smaller affair than the pair had originally intended, because the groom’s cousin and best man had gone mysteriously missing, and the pair didn’t want to show disrespect with a large event.
My suggestion that Ida and Jack had eloped to Bahamas together and were happy in their romantic hideout didn’t gather support—mostly because no one believed when I told they’d been an item. Henry’s worry for them made the event subdued.
The ceremony was held mid-morning in a small church in Greenwich, where Olivia’s parents lived, and only immediate family members attended, with me as the sole bridesmaid—in the blue dress, as my bruises had faded enough for it—and Henry’s cousin from his mother’s side standing for him. The bride was beautiful and radiant in Dior and the groom had eyes only for her. Everyone cried.
The wedding lunch was in a nearby restaurant we had for ourselves, and I made sure I was seated next to Aunt Clara. The moment I had a chance, I asked about Great-Aunt Beverly.
“Mom’s sister?” she asked, puzzled. “What brought that about?”
“I went through old photos, and she was there,” I gave the answer I’d thought of in advance. “What was she like?”
Her eyes clouded as she reminisced. “She was an independent woman at a time when it was discouraged. Of course, her generation of women often remained unmarried, as so many young men perished in the Second World War. And she had an amazing knowledge of herbs and traditional healing. She meant to teach me too, but then I married and had Emilia, and became too busy. It never came up later. But you know what? She was the only person who never made fun of my bones.”
The happy couple headed for their honeymoon, a week in my parents’ guesthouse in the south of France. It was a great destination for them, but it would mean Mother would redouble her efforts to get me to marry.
At least I had a chance for it now. Because Luca had been right. The spell was broken. The space I’d enjoyed in the Tube was gone, but I didn’t care. I didn’t have to spend the rest of my life in a convent.
And things were back to normal with Kane again. That is to say, slightly formal. But at least he didn’t have the pained expression on his face anymore.
I wanted to bring the spell up, but we were insanely busy with the auction preparations. All his free time he spent either briefing Amber about running the council or heading to Rupert’s to start learning with him.
It left me wondering if I’d imagined the kiss.
He greeted me with a warm smile when I entered the gallery for the auction. Thanks to the change in Olivia’s wedding plans, I had time for both.
“You look lovely. I trust the wedding went well?”
I hadn’t had time to go change, and I was wearing my wedding finery. And I still wouldn’t be best-dressed person there, if past auctions were anything to judge by. Kane looked great in his black tie too.
The auctioneer arrived and we didn’t have a chance to speak again until the auction was over. It was a great success, and we were in a wonderful mood as we followed Kane to a fine restaurant with Mrs Walsh, as was our tradition.
It wasn’t until we were waiting for dessert and Mrs Walsh went to powder her nose that we were finally alone. Kane leaned back in his chair, his head tilted as he studied me.
“I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to go over what happened with Blackhart. I know it was traumatic, but you were brilliant, and I haven’t even thanked you.”
A light blush rose to my cheeks. “I didn’t expect to be thanked.”
He cleared his throat. “About that kiss…”
Here it was. My stomach tightened, but I smiled. “It was pleasant, but nothing you need to worry about. We weren’t there as a boss and employee, so you didn’t breach any rules.”
He didn’t look as relieved as I’d expected. He nodded. “That’s good. But I more wanted to talk about how it was possible.”
“I thought it was the relief brought it about…”
“But it wasn’t the kiss that broke the spell.”
It wasn’t? My disappointment probably showed on my face, because he smiled.
“I wouldn’t have been able to kiss you if the spell hadn’t been broken already. I was in poor shape, having spent all my energy fighting Ida. At the best of times it took a great deal of it to be around you. I would’ve passed out if I’d tried to kiss you with the spell on.”
He leaned his elbows on the table. “I’ve studied the spell carefully with Rupert, and we’ve come to the conclusion that it works differently on those who have magic in their blood.”
I shook my head, uncomprehending. “I don’t understand…”
My heart was thumping in my chest.
“There seems to be a failsafe in the spell. Those with magic in their blood should be able to break its hold on them by facing the caster. And you faced Jack. Spectacularly.”
He looked at me with admiration, but I still had no idea what he meant. His smile deepened.
“You, Phoebe Thorpe, are a mage.”
About the Author
Susanna Shore is an independent author of more than twenty books. She writes Two-Natured London paranormal romance series about vampires and wolf-shifters that roam London, P.I. Tracy Hayes series of a Brooklyn waitress turned private investigator, and House of Magic paranormal mysteries. She also writes stand-alone thrillers and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or—should her husband manage to drag her outdoors—taking long walks.
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House of Magic will return in January 2022!
Have you met Tracy Hayes yet? She’s a Brooklyn waitress turned P.I. who solves crimes and murders with her mentor Jackson Dean. Read on for the sample chapter of her first mystery, Tracy Hayes, Apprentice P.I.
Tracy Hayes, Apprentice P.I.
My life took an exciting turn on a hot August Tuesday. Mind you, I didn’t appreciate my good luck when I found myself jobless and broke through no fault of my own.
Well, almost no fault of mine.
I was carrying a dog that smelled of puke, which didn’t improve my mood. Not that it was the dog’s fault he smelled. The poor thing had gorged on donuts and then thrown up everything.
That he’d snuck into the kitchen of Café Marina to eat the donuts I’d left unguarded—and then regurgitated them on the newly scrubbed floor—was the reason I was now jobless after sixteen months as a waitress there.
That he wasn’t my dog hadn’t saved me from being fired.
It was early af
ternoon and I was standing on the sidewalk outside the café, watching the busy traffic on Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, whizz past me, reeling from the fast turn of events. The 7th Avenue subway station was right across the street and I should’ve headed home, but my feet began carrying me in the opposite direction, clutching the dog against my chest like a stuffed toy for comfort. My head was spinning, and I felt sick to my stomach.
How the hell was I supposed to pay the rent without a job? I didn’t have a penny to my name. I’d be homeless by the end of the month and have to move back in with my parents. They already thought I didn’t know how to adult—at twenty-seven. I’d never hear the end of it.
Oh, they’d be sympathetic and understanding—this wasn’t exactly the first job I’d lost these past six years—and then they’d ask my eldest brother Travis to find a suitable place for me—nothing too complicated, you understand. Or worse, they’d contact Aunt Moira, who worked in a canned soup factory. And I’d rather serve tables for the rest of my life than work there—which, admittedly, was the only profession I was good for with my skillset.
In fact, after six years of waitressing in various establishments around Brooklyn, I was a damn good waitress. Waitress extraordinaire.
Well, maybe I was exaggerating a little there.
But as dire as my financial situation was, I had more pressing concerns. “What should I do with you?” I cooed at the poor dog. He was listless after his bout of vomiting, but he licked my arm to show that he sympathized with my predicament, only he was just a little dog and had no idea either.
“My name is Tracy. Who are you?” I checked for his collar but he didn’t have one. “Are you a stray?” But his coat was shiny and groomed. “You’ve run away, haven’t you, you naughty boy?” The dog whimpered in answer. “Maybe you’re someone’s beloved pet and they’re worried sick for you.”
I paused when a thought hit. “Maybe they’ll pay me to bring you back.”
Having a purpose—however small—cleared my head. I retraced my steps and headed to the residential area behind the café with, if not actual spring in my step, then determined ambling, and started looking for missing dog posters. I wouldn’t be too proud to take a fifty as a finder’s fee. Moreover, Prospect Heights with its old townhouses was a neighborhood where only the rich could afford to live, so the finder’s fee might even be substantial.
Saved by the Spell. House of Magic 2. Page 20