by Mari Freeman
His feelings were real too. Mi-ma was right. Sonja could touch and feel what was between them. It was as alive as their magic.
Chapter Sixteen
“It’s time, you two.” The Fairy knocked again. “And I need to change out of this suit.”
Ray watched as Sonja sat up. Her face changed from the serene look of a girl fiercely fucked to deep concern and fear in a matter of seconds. He longed to find a way to keep the former on her face permanently.
“We’re coming.” She pushed up and Ray watched her breasts move as she did so. Her body was calling to the baser side of his magic. He considered spelling the door and staying put. But the circumstances were too pressing to ignore. At least he’d had a little time to experience her. And she had come to him. He’d felt her want and need and desire. It was a good start.
Ray felt a sense of loss as she pulled the robe back over her luscious body. “I’m afraid you’ve ruined me.” He pulled on his jeans. She stopped tying the robe and looked at him. “I’ll be no good to us now. All I can think about is you naked and under me.”
The way she blushed was so cute. “If we can’t get Kara and kill Q, then we’ll all be ruined.”
She was right. He grabbed her and pulled her close, feeling her curves press against his body. “I want you to be very careful, okay? Let me do what I do best. I don’t want you hurt.”
She nodded and pushed away. “I don’t want you hurt either. Or Kara.”
Cindy banged on the door again. Ray flicked his wrist and spelled it open. “Keep your shorts on, will ya? We’re coming.”
“Oh! Hi,” Sonja said, her voice surprised.
Ray turned to see Cindy had company. This one he could tell was a Fairy right off the bat. The man was only about four feet tall but his energy took up half the hallway outside the door. His pointed ears and gray eyes were also dead giveaways. He wasn’t spinning any glamour to conceal his appearance at the moment. Maybe he never did.
“This is Marvin,” Cindy proclaimed. The name didn’t fit the being standing stock-still before him. “He knows everything that goes down in the Quarter.” Cindy shoved a bag into Sonja’s hands. “You—change in the bathroom.”
Marvin didn’t look the type to happily shake hands. Ray nodded and grabbed his shirt off a chair as Sonja left to get dressed. Cindy needed to change too, as he was still in the pantsuit. The fierce electricity of Marvin’s magic reminded Ray that he needed to get his head back in the game. That much magic should have been detectable long before the door was opened.
Marvin followed Ray into the living room. “These characters, they’re playing for real here.” Marvin sniffed the air around Ray, checking his magic and aura, assessing him. “You’re strong like a Prime, but you ain’t.”
Ray didn’t answer. He’d heard that before but never discussed his politics with strangers. This guy wasn’t just a Fairy and Ray never trusted anyone easily. He grabbed his boots and sat on one of the kitchen chairs to get his socks on.
The Fairy nodded his approval. “I don’t like no Primes, myself. Always judging people. You don’t seem like you’re judging, just being careful. That’s smart.” He conjured a small fireball in the palm of his hand and used it to light a half-smoked cigarillo he pulled from the chest pocket of his t-shirt.
When he breathed out the smoke, it twisted and formed into the shape of a Celtic knot with a rose. Ray recognized the symbol instantly. “The Brotherhood.”
Ray stood and gave the small man a slight bow of respect. The Brotherhood was an ancient clan of warriors, spread across species and continents, who had banded together to protect the treasures of the preternatural world. He was probably masking more magical power than Ray even possessed.
The ramifications of this new twist were huge. He needed to work this out before Sonja joined them. “Are you looking for the talisman?”
He nodded. “For three years.” He took another long toke from the cigarillo.
Shit. This was a major complication.
“I traced it to the mountains and then followed its taint here. The Fairy stumbled upon me.” Smoke escaped his lips as he spoke. “He who seeks it can and will destroy everything.”
Ray paced to the front window. “We need it for the moment. Then we were going to destroy it.”
“I’m aware of your predicament.” Ray turned to see Marvin lifting the box off the coffee table. “There is only one way to destroy it. One spell. And despite the research of many, we have not found it.”
“The Dreamstalker. He’s got a hostage.” Ray wasn’t sure of the agenda of the Brotherhood, but he knew they were honorable men and women.
“I’m simply following the box, Ray Burgess. The talisman has its own agenda, a place it wants to rest and someone’s power it wants to control.” He took a final hit from the cigarillo and snubbed it into a potted plant by the front door. “I am to follow it, not take it. The destination of the talisman is as important for us to know as its whereabouts.”
Ray nodded.
“Well. At least you’re another gun, so to speak,” Sonja said. She was standing in the hall. The jeans and tight black shirt Cindy had brought fit nicely and showed off all her generous curves. He smiled in spite of the grave situation.
“Is this Brotherhood associated with the Council?” She marched right over and took the box from Marvin.
He laughed. Probably hadn’t been challenged like that in years. “No, Halfling. We are not. There are…differences, politically, between us. Even the Council would be the wrong hands for certain things.” He stepped back, letting her control the situation for the moment.
“And you think you know what’s best for this?” She looked at Marvin then at the box. “This was my father’s.”
Ray felt sweat start to bead on his lip. This could get ugly quick and Sonja had no clue she was challenging such a strong being.
“Sonja, baby.” He eased the box from her hands and set it on the table in a neutral location. “The Brotherhood collects artifacts, stores them and protects them.” He tucked her under his arm. “They’re among the elite of magical beings.”
She seemed to get the implication not to fuck with this guy. At least, she relaxed a tad. She looked from the box to Marvin and back.
“Your father should never have left the Chiwa so vulnerable.” He pulled a bit of loose tobacco off this lip.
“Did you know my father?”
“I knew of him,” Marvin offered. “How well did you know him?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ray felt her spine straighten, her muscles tense again. She wasn’t afraid of Marvin at all. Later he would tell her how powerful the guy was, but for now he tried to pull her farther away.
Marvin watched her face for a moment then backed up a step, letting his magic recede. “It meant nothing.”
Cindy plodded into the room, further dispersing the tension between Marvin and Sonja. The Fairy now looked all male, dressed in black jeans, a dark shirt and heavy work boots, all the elaborate makeup gone, bleached-blonde locks slicked back and neat. They all looked at him.
“What?” Cindy shrugged. “You don’t expect me to go gallivanting around saving damsels in distress like John Wayne dressed in a silk pantsuit, do you?”
“It’s just…” Sonja stuttered. “Well, it’s confusing.”
“Welcome to my world.” Cindy looked at Marvin. “Now what?”
Ray wasn’t sure of the connection between the two. And all this happy coincidence wasn’t making him happy. He and Sonja had been led to that club by Q. Cindy was working the door. Now Cindy shows up with someone claiming to be Brotherhood. “You two know each other?”
“Relax, cowboy,” Cindy replied. “Barri put me onto his trail. That woman knows everyone. Probably knows who your Dreamstalker is too. But she doesn’t make it a habit of getting too involved.”
“That makes sense,” Ray said slowly. Sonja didn’t look any more convinced than he did. But he had nothing else to
go on at the moment. And they were running out of time.
“I also found out there’s an old paddle-wheel riverboat being restored upriver from New Orleans. Small place, but I bet that’s where your fox is.” Cindy grabbed a few things from a drawer and shoved them into pockets, then grabbed a handgun and tucked it in the waistband of her pants. Ray suddenly wished for the gun he’d dropped in the alley.
Cindy opened the front door. “I have a friend with a car. Follow me.”
* * * * *
Sonja watched the sun as it began to tuck behind the buildings in the distance. She didn’t recognize this particular horizon, but felt its power as she waited for that time in between daylight and dreams that Barri said would be the weakest moment for Q. It was a good moment for her though. She loved that time of day and often sat on Mi-ma’s porch to watch the sun set and the stars appear in the night sky.
Cindy killed the engine of the borrowed car. Sonja was sure they’d actually stolen the thing with the intent of returning it later. But whatever. It was Cindy’s ass on the line for that one. Ray had questioned him, but the answers had all been elaborately vague. Kind of like Cindy.
“Where are we?” Sonja asked as they got out of the car and Ray moved to stand beside her. His hand landed on the small of her back, familiar and comforting.
Cindy pointed to a block-long, metal warehouse right on the river. “They do boat restorations in there. Big boats. And I heard they had a paddle steamer. Only place your friend could be held without being seen. The paddleboats on the river down in the Quarter are always full of tourists.”
“Put the box in the trunk,” Marvin said. He’d been carrying it. “I can feel its sick call even through that Witch’s spell.”
“I wouldn’t call Barri that to her face. Not that there’s anything wrong with Witches, but you know those Voodoo queens. Think they’re something special,” Cindy said, but he popped the trunk. “You think that’s safe in here?”
Marvin looked at the building. “I can only sense about five of ’em.” Not much chance they’ll get past us to get out here.”
Sonja glanced at the man’s dark, wrinkled face. He was squinting in the bright orange light of the setting sun as he studied the landscape. She reached out with her senses—
Marvin swiftly grabbed her arm, jerking her around to face away from the building. “You outta your mind? You send that much of yourself into the universe, you might as well call him and tell him we’re here.”
Evidently, she had to learn to control her magic a little better. She had thought she was being discreet, sending a little test out there to sense others as he’d done. It definitely made her think Q had known she was in his mind the entire time. “If that’s the case, he knows we’re out here anyway. And he knows we have it.” She held her hand out to Marvin. He started to protest but handed it over. “I’ll carry it.” She shoved it in her pack and threw it over her shoulder. “I need him to feel it so he believes we’re going to trade. He’ll know if it’s not there.”
“Fine. You do that,” he said. “Well, there’s no sense putting it off. He may want to negotiate for the talisman one last time but either way, she’s dead if we don’t act fast.” He looked at Sonja, his eyes swirling with gathering power. She could feel it moving toward the little man as if he were a magnet, rushing at him in streams from the very air around them. It was like nothing she’d experienced before.
He looked at her with those wild eyes. “He’ll have probably tortured her in order to get his point across to you. Be prepared for what she might look like.”
Sonja hadn’t thought of that. Kara had looked tired and unkempt in the thought inside Q’s mind, but ultimately okay. But Q knew they were coming. Wanted them to come. He’d had time to stage. To hurt her. Sonja wondered if she would be strong enough to deny him the talisman if it meant her cousin’s life.
Ray squeezed her hand.
Or Ray’s life.
A sense of panic threatened to overtake her. “We need to move in.”
Ray pointed to a huge sliding door. “There.” He looked at Marvin. “You two should find another entrance. He may know we’re coming, but we don’t have to be one large target.”
“True enough.” He conjured another fireball, which danced in his palm. The orange light made his dark skin shiny in the dwindling daylight. He lit another cigarillo. “Come on, Cindy Lou. We’ll flank ’em.” He blew out a smoke ring. “Time to fry some Vamps.”
Cindy appeared to shiver. As big and masculine as he looked dressed in men’s clothes, Cindy was a woman at heart, Sonja suspected. Ray started walking toward the building and Sonja hurried to his side.
“You stay behind me and out of the line of fire.” He glanced at her, his face serious. “My magic is a bit more aggressive than yours. And know that Marvin has his own agenda. The Brotherhood doesn’t mess around. He will leave with the Chiwa.” She noticed he’d fished his black stone wand from his pocket and held it in his left hand. She felt its energy pulse as clear as day. Her body wanted to react with a much stronger emotion than simple gratitude.
He stopped and looked at her. “I know you don’t know much about them, but the Brotherhood is… Let’s just say I trust them more to destroy or hide that box than anyone on the Council these days.”
He was going to be in big trouble with the Council as it was. For Ray to risk his life by even considering letting Marvin take the box, he must mean every word.
He started walking again, talking quietly. “Some even believe the Council has been corrupted beyond repair.”
Her father had said that more than once too. Nell believed it, but she’d still mated with a Prime. And that mate, Trent, obviously didn’t believe it or he would never still serve the Council. Preternatural politics were a little spicier than human politics. Rarely did you see human senators kill each other for cabinet spots. It’d happened in the Council several times. No one had actually admitted or proven it, but everyone knew.
They got to the door and Ray reduced his voice to a whisper. “Remember. Stay low.” He kissed her forehead. “Stay smart.”
She nodded. Damn straight. Psychic abilities were no match for fireballs and thrusting spells.
Chapter Seventeen
The building couldn’t have been any creepier. Large metal tools with menacing hooks and huge carving blades hung from the walls and scaffolding. The hulls of several large sailing boats sat on enormous lifts, silently waiting for repairs. Not a sound of any work could be heard in the warehouse. The screeching of seabirds outside and the echo of slowly dripping water made Sonja’s skin crawl.
She accidentally walked through a large spider web and fervently hoped its occupant was gone, like the building’s crew. But she managed not to squeal as she brushed the web off her chest as fast as possible.
The sight of a swaying rope stopped them in their tracks. Ray surveyed the room. Nothing else moved. She wondered if Q had killed the owners of this place or simply influenced them to take a long summer vacation.
They made it halfway through the maze of equipment and boats before she saw the paddleboat. The front of it was inside the building, on dry land, the rest extending out onto the water through an enormous open bay. A dock ran the entire length of it, past the big paddle wheel on the rear.
Suddenly a loud, blood-curdling scream pierced the silence.
Sonja nearly cried out in response, knowing the gut-wrenching sound was from Kara—and also knowing the pain being inflicted and the scream were for Sonja’s benefit.
“Wow. He’s really playing by the bad guy handbook.” Ray headed straight for the paddleboat, no longer concerned about what might be lurking among the unfinished hulls in the warehouse. “He’s getting impatient.”
She felt Q trying to penetrate her mind. She fought it, but it took most of her concentration. She stumbled, almost falling over. Ray caught her. “He’s trying to get to me.” She placed a hand to her head. She didn’t know whether to let him in and try to use tha
t to her advantage, or fight and wage this war on her turf, outside the mind. No way of knowing how long she could hold him off. “He’s close.”
As Sonja and Ray hit the dock, Marvin and Cindy came around the far side of the building, approaching from the opposite side of the boat. Marvin ran then leapt over several feet of water, onto the bow. Cindy didn’t attempt the leap, instead rushing to join them as they prepared to walk aboard using the ramp. Cindy had his gun pulled. Ray had his wand.
Sonja fell in behind the two. Even with the Chiwa quieted by Barri’s spell, she felt the blood magic trying to call to her, or maybe to Q. She adjusted the pack on her back as she walked, wishing she had left it in the trunk.
The three of them inched down the outer gangway along the lowest of three decks. The railing was ornately trimmed, like the one in the vision. Much like the balconies and porticos in the Quarter. The birds were louder outside, a few of them clamoring for something at the end of the boat. They passed several doors and Cindy tried each to make sure they were locked as they moved closer to the stairs leading to the next deck.
The river lapping on the sides of the hull got louder as they moved toward the back of the boat. The huge paddle wheel that had once been red and powerful was now silent, covered with peeling paint.
“I expected trouble by now,” Sonja whispered loudly.
Cindy looked back at her. “Don’t ask for it. We’ll get it soon enough.”
As if on cue, they heard the sounds of a struggle coming from the gangway on the far side of the boat. They couldn’t get through the boat for all the locked passages. They’d have to go all the way around to help Marvin.
Two large, thundering blasts echoed off the metal ship. “Hope those were his,” Ray said. He stopped just under the stairs. “You go over there.” He indicated to Cindy to go help Marvin. “You’ve got the gun.” He grabbed Cindy’s meaty arm. “If they’re Vamps—”
“I know. Save the ammo. I’ve been in a battle or two with rogues in the past. The gun’s for the Dreamstalker, not undead ghouls.”