by Kate Rudolph
“Thanks for showing up,” she said.
Krista’s gaze hardened and Mel realized she had said the exact wrong thing. “Of course, we do the damned job.” The shorter woman looked over at Bob and yelled, “We’re ready,” then got into the driver’s seat.
Bob sat up without the assistance of his hands and moved across the park in a blink of an eye. Mel wished she could ask him what the hell he was, but his grin told her he wouldn’t answer. And anyone would be offended by the question. She slid in the back seat while her other partner rode shotgun.
She could sleep for a week and had to fight to keep her eyes open, but there was still work to be done. “When’s the meet?”
Krista blew out a breath and didn’t answer, so Bob spoke for her. “Tonight.”
Chapter Nine
THEY TOOK HER BACK to the cabin just outside of town. Tina planned to meet them at the cabin later that night. Mel wanted a shower before she had to deal with Tina again. When she walked into her bathroom she saw that bathing might be a problem.
“Krista!” It was a familiar frustration that laced her words, one that Krista had learned to embrace over the years. Mel stared at the circle of sand and candles situated in the white porcelain tub where she’d been planning to relax. The candles were a mix of black and white, the sand shared the same colors. Inside it all Mel saw a lock of what she assumed was her hair bound with an elastic hairband.
Krista took her time in joining her, but after a moment she appeared in the doorway. “What?”
Mel’s jaw nearly dropped. She jerked her hand and pointed at the spell brewing in her tub. “Why is this here?”
Krista took one look at the project and smiled. “You wanted the teleportation charm. And if you had waited another day we would have pulled you out.” She gestured to the center of the circle. Mel noticed that the bundle of hair was sitting on a small pile of ash. “Once it’s dissolved completely it’s as safe as teleportation ever is. Even half dissolved, it’ll be useable in a few hours,” she paused and then continued, “If you’re feeling lucky.
“But why is it in my bathroom?” Mel persisted.
Krista huffed, “Like I was going to waste my space while you were locked up in some lion’s dungeon? Please. Anyway, I’ll be happy to sleep for a week once that’s ready to go. I don’t know if I’ve ever done so much magic in my life.”
She walked away, but that didn’t stop Mel from calling after her. “I’m glad you were so concerned for my safety!” Krista showed her worry with one finger. Mel would have laughed if she thought it was in jest. But the time for jokes was long past.
Mel gave up hope of a shower and decided that a quick meal before bed would be almost as good. The kitchen was stocked with plenty of frozen food, and she grabbed a box at random. Taste was not her goal at the moment. Bob walked into the kitchen while she set the timer on the microwave. He sat on one of the stools and watched her without comment. Mel didn’t feel like speaking, either. She let her food cook and watched the timer count down. She could practically feel Bob’s eyes on her for all ninety seconds.
Only when she had pulled the tray out of the microwave and begun to blow on the steaming contents to cool them off did he start to speak. “Did you turn suicidal all of a sudden?”
Mel let the dinner drop and looked at her old partner. His dark skin seemed to drink in all of the light in the kitchen and nearly gave off an almost ethereal glow. She could see something dark slithering deep in his eyes, something ancient that he usually kept hidden. “What makes you think that?”
“Nothing you’ve done in the past few weeks has suggested otherwise.” He laced his fingers together and set them on the counter.
She picked up her fork and stabbed at the chicken and noodles. “I don’t want to die. I’m just...determined.”
“How has that worked out for you?” When he said things like that, Mel knew that Bob had to be much older than he put on. Most everyone she met was - anyone with a lick of magic lived far beyond the eighty to one hundred years that regular humans hoped for. But most magic types didn’t bother to hide their years either. If she asked Bob how old he was, she knew that he’d smile and say thirty. Just like he had when they met eight years ago.
But Bob’s question stung. “Are you talking about Cincinnati? Because–”
He held up a hand before she could offer her excuse. “Krista will get over it someday. You did what you had to do.”
“And what about you?”
Bob unclenched his hands and stood. “You’re one of the best damn thieves out there. Working with you is an honor, and I know you’ll do what you have to do to get the job done. If the payment is right, we can continue to be colleagues.” She thought he was done, but he continued after a moment. “But if I can’t count on my friends, then I don’t know what the point is.” He left without another word.
Mel ate her sad looking TV dinner alone. She didn’t have time to deal with all of this bullshit between her team members. They were going to get the job done, that was it. Then they would go their separate ways. She and Krista weren’t kids anymore, they didn’t need to hold each other’s hands and reassure themselves that no one could hurt them. Plenty of people could hurt them. That was just how it was.
Mel threw her tray of food away and went to lay down. She had earned her nap.
BEFORE TINA WAS SUPPOSED to meet them that night, Krista placed a cerulean marble into Mel’s hand. “It’s just like the last charm,” she said. “Only you can break it. Think of a place really hard and you should end up there. It’ll be fresh enough to work for a month. But it might kill you.”
She walked off before Mel could thank her.
Just after sunset Krista took down the ward and Tina drove up the gravel driveway in a beige sedan that was at least twenty years old. Mel hadn’t even seen the gem after she buried it, and she couldn’t wait to get rid of the thing and take her payment. This job had been far too weird. The faster she could leave Eagle Creek, the better.
And she wouldn’t even think about that alpha.
Tina stepped out of the car. She still looked like she was in her forties and wore dark colors. Mel thought that she must have been wearing a glamour of some sort. It was difficult to make out where the woman ended and the darkness of the night began. Clever. Mel would need to see if she could purchase a charm like that off one of her contacts.
The older witch carried a small wooden box in her hands. She smiled at Krista and nodded to Mel. She refused to acknowledge Bob. “Mellie! Kris. I knew you girls could do it.” Mel could have choked on the saccharine sweetness of her tone.
“Is that my payment?” Mel asked. She wouldn’t be bitter, but neither would she be nice. This was purely business.
Without warning, Tina threw the box at her. Mel caught it and flipped the small metal clasp open. Inside was a small key. “And where’s the safety deposit box? And why didn’t you just bring it with?” she asked.
Tina grinned and held up a note card. “Written down here, my dear. And safety first. Now may I see the item?”
Mel could hear Krista heave a sigh and she looked over just in time to catch her rolling her eyes so hard that her head had to hurt. But a truck pulled up behind Tina’s car before Krista could flash the stone. And judging by the frozen set of Tina’s shoulders, no one was supposed to have followed her.
“Who are your friends?” Bob asked.
Tina looked behind her and when she faced them again all color had drained from her face. “Sweetie?” She asked her daughter, “Could you put that ward back up before we have unpleasant company?”
Mel got a good look at the truck. It was dark gray with mud splattered all around the bottom. The light was dimming, but it looked like there was some kind of cover on the bed. The truck looked familiar, but she dismissed the thought. She had seen hundreds of gray trucks in her life. Why would this one be special?
“I’m spent,” said Krista. “All I can do is make it so they can’t hear us.”
Tina pursed her lips and steeled her shoulders, but she said nothing else.
“Who is that?” asked Mel.
“You didn’t think I wanted the gem for myself, did you?” Tina replied. She held out a hand. “Let’s just finish the trade and nothing bad will happen.
“What’s going on, Mom?” Krista bit out the words.
Tina still didn’t answer. “Just give me my gem. Please.”
With a huff, Krista pulled the velvet bag out of her pocket and handed it to her mother. “Fine, here’s your stupid rock. We’re done now.” She looked at Mel and nodded to Bob. “Right? Business concluded?”
Mel nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for your help.” She barely got the last word out when two men stepped out of the truck. Ice shivered down Mel’s spine. Even a hundred feet away she could tell that there was something wrong about them. Their skin was white, nearly glowing in the dusky moonlight. And they moved with a serpentine grace that looked wrong on the human form. Mel saw Tina glance back once. “You hired us to work for vampires?” She hissed.
Krista had been about to walk away, but she stopped. “Did you want to get us killed?”
“It will be fine,” Tina told them. “I’ve worked with some of them before. And I’m still very much alive.”
Mel wasn’t so confident. But she thought quickly, trying to reason out why vampires would want Luke’s special gem. “Is it magical?” She asked.
The velvet bag had already disappeared from Tina’s hands. “Does it matter?” Her tone suggested that it wasn’t a question.
Both vampires were too close for Mel to argue further. She nodded for Krista to drop the sound ward so that they could talk. As they approached, Mel studied them. Though vampires came in all races, these two were as white as the moon. And like with every vampire she’d ever seen, there was something off about them: their skin looked as if the blood didn’t pump steadily through their veins. Instead it swirled and stalled, leaving strange patches of red almost like blush all over. And they smelled wrong. It wasn’t decay. Vampires weren’t undead, but it was something sickly-sweet. Whatever magic extended their life was the dark kind that required blood sacrifice. And while witches stank of magic, the vampires smelled of death.
Tina nodded toward the brunet, “Vladimir,” and then towards the blond, “Ivan.” Russians, great. Whether these were the kind of vamps who lived up the Dracula lifestyle or not would determine exactly how much blood was about to be shed.
“Ms. Anders,” Vladimir spoke with a flat American accent. That probably made him old. Anyone younger than a hundred didn’t bother or hadn’t learned to cover their speech so well. The old ones could sound like they were from anywhere. “This is your girl?”
Mel wouldn’t let herself be afraid, though she felt a bit ill with his eyes crawling over her.
Tina smiled, her words bright. “Best person for the job.” She held up the velvet bag. “I taught her everything I know.”
If the situation weren’t so dire, Mel would have laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement. But Tina had always been the better talker, no need to test that now.
Vladimir looked at Mel. “You gave this to her, yes?” While his accent was right, his phrasing was stilted. Maybe he wasn’t quite as old as originally thought.
Mel nodded.
He held out a hand to Tina. “Then you give to me.”
Mel heard a car race down the highway. It had to be speeding to be so loud. The engine rumbled, disturbing some of the birds in a nearby tree. Tina placed the bag in the vampire’s hand just as headlights flashed at the end of the drive, temporarily blinding Mel.
Vladimir yanked his hand away. “What the hell is this?” Now some of the Russian crept into his speech. “You have other buyers?”
“What? No!” Tina looked at Mel, but neither Mel nor the rest of her team spoke.
Ivan touched Vladimir’s arm and the two spoke quietly in Russian. Mel could barely hear them over the idling engine and wouldn’t have understood them anyway. She traded looks with Tina, Krista, and Bob.
A truck door flashed open and the enraged roar of a lion pierced through the night.
Chapter Ten
ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE. The vampires bolted, taking the gem with them and leaving Mel, Krista, Bob, and Tina to fend for themselves. Of course, the lions were blocking their way. In the blink of an eye, someone shifted from human to cat and pounced, landing on Vladimir. He used the cat’s momentum against her and flipped the huge feline, pushing her aside.
For one horrible second Mel thought about running. She could take off and be out of the state before any of Luke’s people knew she was gone. But Krista and Bob would be at his mercy. As far as she was concerned, he could have Tina.
“Give me the card,” she told the older witch.
Tina didn’t argue, she handed the note over to Mel and turned away, her form blurring into the night.
“Really?” Scorn filled Krista’s voice. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised.”
There was nothing important in the house, but Mel was the only one who could leave on foot and hope to get away. “Bob?” She asked, “Assessment.” They only had another minute before the lions were on them. They needed a plan.
“Six lions, three in human form, two shifted, one partial. They came in two trucks, both still running. Same model and dirt splatter as the one that vampire brought. He probably stole his from them. I suppose they’re after him and that little rock.” Bob looked at Krista, “No juice at all?”
Krista closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Mel could feel the tiniest hint of power. This was the scary kind, deep and dark and deadly. “Not much, and once I use it I’m down for the count.”
He nodded and looked at Mel. “You better full shift or partial?”
“I can give you claws,” she told him. “What do you need?”
“I can get Krista and myself out, but you’re going to need to make a run for it.” He turned to Krista, “Can you do something to disable the cars? Blow up the engines or whatever?”
Krista smiled. “I’ve got something.”
Bob put a hand on Mel’s shoulder and squeezed it quickly. “Don’t worry about us once we get to the trees.” Mel looked over. It was a hundred feet at least until they reached to forest with angry werecats and vampires in between. But Bob kept talking. “We meet in Illinois. Two days.”
Mel took a deep breath and grinned, adrenaline flowing through her veins. “Let’s do this thing.”
They didn’t need any more words. Mel ran the distraction while Bob and Krista got the hell out. They’d played this game a hundred times before, and Mel was happy to be working with people who understood exactly how to get out of a bad situation.
She stuffed the wooden box in her pocket and let claws grow out of one hand. Fighting wasn’t her preferred response, but she could hold her own when necessary. She only shifted one hand so that she kept the dexterity of her fingers in the other. She needed to be able to pick things up and grab. Claws could prove bothersome.
Krista’s hands glowed with a blue light as she chanted. Mel’s ears popped and Krista slumped over, her magic exhausted. Each of the cars in the driveway let out a loud pop and one started shooting flames from under the hood. Krista had done her job - the cars were disabled. Bob picked up Krista and took off at a slow jog for the woods. Something about his magic helped him blend in. Mel had no idea why he would be safe once they reached the woods, and she wouldn’t ask. Since he wouldn’t answer, it all worked out.
But they had distance to cover and she needed to make sure that they weren’t intercepted.
She headed straight for the roaring lion.
Some might have called it suicidal. But instinct drove her. The only person she needed on the battlefield was the alpha. The man she had just escaped who, for all she knew, was coming back for her in a rage.
She cleared the distance between where she’d been and the battlefield in a few seconds and dived straight fo
r Luke, swiping at him with her clawed hand. That got his attention. Wordlessly, she took off, running in the opposite direction of Krista and Bob. The lion alpha followed, she knew that he would. Something told her that he couldn’t resist.
Luke wasn’t completely shifted, and because of that, she thought she might survive. Like her, he only had one hand full of claws, though he also had long fangs growing out of his mouth. Mel didn’t have the time or the skill to mimic his shift. But her goal wasn’t to fight him, it was just to get him far enough away, to distract him.
Fallen branches and brush were no obstacle for her as she broke into the forest opposite from where Bob and Krista ran to. Even in the dim light she could see well enough and at her speed she relied more on instinct anyway.
For a moment, she remembered her childhood, running through the forest with her parents. They always stayed in human form since she was too young to shift. But every week they walked through some of the densest woods on their land. As a child it seemed to go on forever. And they always ended up at that old well that had been boarded up long before she was born and had been overgrown with moss and ivy.
Mel pushed the thought away, in the midst of a chase for her life, for her freedom, she couldn’t bother to remember shit from before she was old enough to remember almost anything. She could feel Luke closing in behind her. She was fast, but his longer legs and familiarity with the terrain worked against her.
But Mel had never met a problem head on when she could approach it sideways.
She jumped up, grabbing for a branch with her claws and swung herself up into the trees. She didn’t care if Luke saw her. It wouldn’t matter.
The branches were thick enough that even in her clumsy, human form she could move among them, covering less ground, but well hidden. Luke finally caught up to her, pausing only a few feet before she would have pounced on him. He crouched low, better to get her scent, but they’d left her trail behind.