by K. M. Shea
“It’s likely what you thought: someone who has fae support?” I guessed.
A sharp nod. “But we have no physical evidence, and no leads to follow. Though we have concluded that Drake Hall has been compromised, or this wouldn’t happen—which is a worst-case scenario because if it is compromised it might be a fae after all.”
I absently flicked my ponytail over my shoulder. “Nah, can’t be.”
A muscle twitched in Killian’s cheek. “I didn’t know you had become a master of home security.” His voice was practically a purr, and a chill ran down my spine at the show of his temper.
“I’m not,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice calm. “But I am a wizard.”
The angles of Killian’s face seemed less severe as he straightened in his chair. “And?”
“As a wizard I can detect all magic,” I reminded him. “I mean, even though I don’t have much access to magic, I can totally feel it when someone uses magic. I might not know who it is and where they are, but believe me—you can’t miss it. It’s like someone electrifies the air.”
I was rambling. No—not only was I rambling, I was schooling Killian Drake on magic 101. There was no way he didn’t know this—I glanced at the Eminence, who was staring at me, this time with both of his eyebrows raised.
They hovered at an angle I wasn’t wholly familiar with—which made me panic a little. What did it mean?
“Can you discern between fae magic and wizard magic?” Killian asked.
“Yeah. Fae magic has a sort of floral feel to it. Wizard magic is tangier and more electric.”
I had thought about the killer a lot while I’d been wasting time the previous night.
Since I hadn’t felt even a spark of fae magic throughout the evening of the murder—there wasn’t even a faint whiff of it in the room—it had occurred to me that my wild guess of an inside job maybe wasn’t so far off.
How else could the murderer stalk through Drake Hall and disappear so easily without the help of magic?
I was still pretty reluctant to trot this idea past Killian—I wanted more information first, particularly about Rupert.
He was adopted, and he made it plain he didn’t respect most of the Drake vampires—including the Second Knight—or humans, so the slaughter didn’t seem out of character for him. But besides a general gut feeling I didn’t have much to go by.
Killian stood in a liquid movement that was unnaturally graceful, jostling me from my suspicions. He turned his back to me and rested a forearm against one of his bookshelves as he broodingly leaned against it.
I had what I wanted—the update on the murderer—so I peered over my shoulder to start plotting out my exit strategy.
But I was blocked when Killian crossed his office in the blink of an eye and set his hand on my shoulder.
I didn’t scream as I might have a month ago, but I did jump a little—mostly because he got right up in my face, and his hand was delightfully cool. (I was pretty hot since I had opted to wear my stuffy suit in an effort to placate Killian so he’d be more likely to share information.)
He was bent over so he could stare into my eyes. This close I could see the deep red of his iris. Not to get all poetic, but his eyes strangely reminded me of red stars set in the black velvet of the night sky.
“I don’t trust you,” Killian announced.
His closeness was really upping the ‘danger-danger, this is a predator,’ factor, so I had no choice but to resort to humor. “How shocking. You always seem so gullible.”
One corner of his lips turned up in the hint of a smug, satisfied smirk. “We’ll draw the murderer out.”
I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t, so I had to ask, “How?”
He finally took a step out of my personal space and stood upright again. “You and I will leave Drake lands, unescorted,” he said. “If the murderer has a political motive, they won’t be able to miss the opportunity.”
“Did you say ‘you and I’?” I asked. “And ‘unescorted’?”
Killian’s voice was silken with his self-satisfaction, but I think I preferred his frustration to it because he sounded equally dangerous but now focused on me. “You’re the ideal target: weak, fragile, and defenseless.”
Mulishly, I put my hands on my hips. “Well, when you put it that way.”
“The murderer won’t be aware of your training. And in your current state, compared to a vampire you are easy to kill.”
I stretched my arms above my head as I tried to think.
I wanted to figure out who was behind the murders, and I’d already decided to get myself involved. The danger didn’t bother me so much—though if anyone from House Medeis heard about it, they’d undoubtedly throw a fit. (The House comes first and all of that, but humans were dying, so I’d put our entire society before the House for this occasion.)
But the idea of wandering around with Killian without any other Drake vampires? Yeah, that part didn’t thrill me.
“Do we need to go out together?” I asked. “Can’t you just send Celestina and me out for a girls’ day or something?”
“Not if we want the murderer to take the bait before they kill someone else,” Killian said. “Eventually they will attack you—you are too tempting of a target to pass. But it will take time for them to decide that killing you would negatively affect us if you are only seen with the Family and not me personally.”
“You want the murderer to think that in getting me, it will be a direct attack on you?” I wrinkled my brow as I stared at the Eminence of the Midwest. “Do you really think you can be that convincing and get this sicko to attack me on one outing? Because everyone knows you only care about vampires.”
Killian’s entire demeanor transformed. He went from standing tall and smirking to prowling closer to me. There was that odd gleam in his eyes again. “Oh?” His voice dropped to a rumbling purr. “I don’t think it will be that difficult.” He tenderly brushed my cheek, which made me shiver. “All we have to do is make it seem that there’s…something between us.”
One of his hands glided around my waist, stopping at my mid back, and he scooped me into an embrace. His other hand slid under my chin and gently pulled up so I had to look up at him. “Don’t you agree?” The seduction act dropped when he grabbed me by the cheeks like a grandma pinching a baby.
Smooshed against him as I was, I was able to confirm his entire body was pleasantly cool. (Not fair! Vampires got the looks, the speed, and a pleasant body temperature? I call foul play!)
“Why would we do that?” I asked through squished lips. “We’d both be miserable!”
Killian released me, though he didn’t move away. “I’m willing to suffer a little for my own amusement.”
I eyed him. “Your reputation won’t take a hit?”
He hardened abruptly, his expression turning flinty and his smile threatening pain. “I’m enough of a monster, no one will dare to question it.”
I felt the truth of this in my bones, so I sucked in a deep breath. “Okay?”
He blinked, the darkness draining from his eyes. “Hm?”
“I’ll play bait.”
“…are you certain?”
“Yeah.” I brushed my slacks off to give me something to do. “This can’t keep going on.”
He slightly narrowed his eyes. “It’s wrong?”
I nodded.
Killian rolled his eyes. “See—a regular paragon of virtue. Disgusting.”
“It’s working to your advantage right now, so I don’t think it’s anything to complain about.”
“Whatever,” he sourly said. “You’ve taken all the fun out of it.”
“When will we go?” I asked. “Tomorrow?”
Killian appraised me, his eyes traveling over my small frame. “A week.”
“Do you think we have that long?”
“Yes, because I’ll make our outing known publicly tomorrow when I send Celestina out to order a dress for you and make reservations.”
I nodded and awkwardly swung my arms. “Okay. Sounds good.”
Killian returned to his desk and sat on the very edge. “In the meantime, I expect you to train with diligence. An extra week might be the difference between life and death.”
“Got it. I guess that’s my cue to go get changed.” Not knowing what else to do, I nodded to him and headed for the door.
“Hazel.”
I paused in the doorway and turned around, surprised by the use of my name. “Yeah?”
Killian stared at me, the only sounds in the whole office was the rhythmic tick-tock of a grandfather clock in the corner and my breathing. “Be extra diligent in practicing your magic with your sword,” he said.
“Will do.” I slipped out of the doorway, almost positive that wasn’t what he was going to say. But I didn’t know what else he could possibly bring up. It wasn’t until I was halfway down the hallway that our conversation finally caught up with me.
Wait—he said he was ordering a dress? Just how fancy is the place he’s taking me?
Chapter Fifteen
Hazel
About a week later, I found myself teetering down the stairs in heels trying to juggle my sword and a black clutch stuffed with a book to give it extra heft. (I was willing to go, and I expected Killian would probably protect me, but there was no way I was doing this without my own weapon.)
The sun had already set, but the air was hot, so I wasn’t cold in my sleeveless cocktail dress. I was pretty sure the humidity was going to ruin the fancy braid a nice maid had helped me tame my hair into, but thankfully I was wearing waterproof makeup, so I wouldn’t look too rough if I stayed outside long.
I had calculated everything about my look to strive for maturity—the smoky eyeshadow, the heels that added a bit to my height, and thankfully the dress was a sophisticated wrap style. Normally I didn’t care a ton about how I looked, besides being presentable. But I wanted to find that murderer—or at least help uncover a lead—and I didn’t want to do this a second time. If I had waltzed out to meet Killian without the extra prep, I was pretty sure I’d get mistaken for a high school student, so I had to do whatever I could to make our act believable.
Thankfully, when I explained my plan to Celestina, she was all over it. She’d gotten me the makeup and the heels—which I was actually pretty comfortable in. (It helped that she made me jog laps around the mansion in them during the past five days.)
I was pretty happy with my overall look. The dress was gorgeous—it was an opalescent dusty blue color that had hints of white depending on the way I turned. It looked great with my blue eyes and reminded me of a bright afternoon sky decorated with wispy clouds—but I didn’t want to know how much it cost. I was pretty sure just seeing the price tag would be enough to make my kidneys shrivel.
The only downside to my outfit was that I hadn’t taken the time to ponder how I was going to secure my sword to my waist…
By the time I made it down the last stair, the solar lights that were stabbed into the flower beds at the front of Drake Hall had winked on.
A line of three SUVs were pulled up, but only one driver stood at the side of the car, his hands clasped behind his back. The other two were still in their cars.
The vampire driver bowed to me as he pulled the side door open, revealing a leather interior, and Killian who was lounging on the bench seat, talking on his cellphone. “I want the Magic Committee to know about tonight. It will give them something new to think about and hopefully confuse them, which will give me the opportunity to finally pass that law further restricting the Unclaimed in our region.”
Yeah, no way was I sitting back there with a scheming Killian.
I pressed my lips together as I studied Killian, then risked a sneaky glance at the driver—whose face held the expression of a stone as he waited for me to climb in. It was a different driver—this one had darker hair and was wider through the shoulders. Hopefully my act would work on him as well.
“Oh, I think I’ll ride up front with you.” I smiled brightly and placed my hand that held the borrowed clutch over my heart. “I couldn’t possibly risk distracting the Eminence when he has such important work to do.”
The driver furrowed his eyebrows, and it looked like he was going to refuse me.
“Although,” I sighed mournfully and switched tactics. “I won’t be able to see him from the front seat very well, and he looks so handsome!”
That did it. The slight wrinkles on the driver’s forehead smoothed, and he slammed the door shut—probably thinking he was saving his leader from a vapid admirer. He opened the front door and held my clutch for me while I climbed in and balanced my chisa katana on my thighs before closing the door.
He was in the driver’s side, buckling his seatbelt and starting the car in the amount of time it took me to inhale.
The drive into Magiford was longer than I remembered, but it made sense given the massive amount of land Killian owned.
Magiford was the magic powerhouse of the Midwest. Located halfway between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, it was at a perfect location due to its proximity to the large cities and Lake Michigan. The magical community decided to set their headquarters in Magiford rather than a larger city because it already had a strong magical community present, but also because we didn’t want to step on any human toes or make them think we had plans to take over.
It was quite small—no skyscrapers to boast of, though there are big office buildings and lots of old architecture. But I loved it anyway, and I knew the city like the back of my hand.
Or I thought I did, until the driver pulled into the warehouse district.
“Yeah,” Killian said before abruptly hanging up.
I watched in the rear-view mirror and waited until he looked up from his phone before asking, “Where are we going?”
Killian frowned. “What are you doing up there?”
“Sitting?”
He pushed his eyebrows together, looking a bit like a model in an anguished pose. “Why didn’t you sit in the back?”
Because you’re in the back! “I didn’t want to bother you,” I modestly said.
He curled up his top lip, revealing a white fang.
Guess he didn’t buy that excuse!
“Where are we going?” I repeated, trying to distract him.
He leaned back, lounging sideways across the bench seat. “An exclusive restaurant—you have to be a member to get through the front doors.” He lost interest in me and gazed through the tinted windows.
“I’m surprised you didn’t want to take the limo today—wouldn’t that have been more eye catching?”
“I never ride in the limousine.”
I actually twisted awkwardly in my seat so I could peer back at him. “What? Then why is it always in front of your motorcade?”
“Image,” he said. “And it acts as a draw to bring enemies out of the woodwork. I find it useful to watch them.”
The SUV slowed to a crawl, then stopped directly outside a warehouse that bordered the business district.
I hopped out while the driver opened Killian’s door and squinted in the flickering light of the streetlight directly above me. I surveyed the cracked sidewalk and the graffitied metal warehouse. “This is totally not suspicious or sketchy at all,” I said.
“Given that Club Luminary is for the refined and influential, I didn’t imagine you would appreciate it.” Killian straightened his suitcoat. “And you cannot bring your sword inside.”
I clutched my sword to my chest. “Why not?”
“Club rules.”
“I’m just supposed to be defenseless?”
“That is the general idea, yes.” Killian smirked. “Though the no-weapon rule does little to hinder the truly powerful. We can be lethal without…tools.”
I grumbled under my breath as I set my katana in the passenger seat—now doubly thankful for my book-stuffed clutch. Though hopefully the staff wouldn’t search me, or they might ask me wh
y I felt the need to carry a copy of The Abridged Dictionary of Useful Latin.
Killian exchanged a few murmured lines with the driver, then sauntered away, heading straight for the super sketchy warehouse. “Come on, Wizard.”
“This fancy place is seriously in a warehouse? That seems unsanitary.” Grit scratched the bottoms of my heels, and I switched my clutch to my right hand—my dominant hand which would make it easier to bludgeon with—as I hurried after him.
“Just wait,” Killian advised. He yanked a metal side door open—which squealed in protest—and stalked into the inky blackness.
I cast one last look outside before following him in.
A little light made it through hazy windows at the top of the wall, so I could see the warehouse was completely empty, except for a rusted-out car and a headless broom. Killian followed the wall to the far side of the warehouse, then pressed a red button.
Part of the wall slid open, revealing an elevator car with a velvet carpeted floor, spotless mirrors, and wood paneling. I followed Killian inside a little less reluctantly and tapped my clutch against my thigh.
“Are you ready?” Killian asked once the doors closed behind us.
“Yeah. It’s close enough to the truth it won’t be a stretch,” I said.
After a lot of deliberation, Killian decided we should act like I was a prized pet he was showing off. It would fit his image and most recent actions, and it was sort of true—my importance was just being highly exaggerated to make it seem like Killian would actually care if I kicked the bucket.
I glanced at my reflection and was pleased to see the braid was holding. “I think the biggest danger is that you go too overboard. No one will believe that you care for me as a person.”
“They won’t?” Killian smirked and tilted his head back.
I’d realized my mistake and scrambled to fix it as the elevator beeped. “It’s not a reflection on your acting skills, but how things are!”