by A. L. Tyler
Nick leaned in to whisper in my ear after we left. “Thank the gods, I didn’t think we were going to survive that.”
When we were down a hallway and clear of the other guests, he cast a glance over his shoulder at me.
“This way.” He nodded with a mischievous smirk.
I followed him back to the rooms and we changed first. Nick asked me to down a few precautionary elixirs in case we happened upon anything deadly.
Knowing what I knew about the Vault, I didn’t think a few home-brew elixirs would help with anything I was truly afraid of, but I drank them for Nick’s sake.
And with a smile and a wink, we were off.
He picked up speed and I chased him down a flight of stairs, through two doors, down more hallways. He finally stopped in front of an old wooden door on a sub-level.
As I approached it, I could hear an ancient chanting that grew louder and louder, resonating in my head.
“This was made from one of the felled trees of the first circle,” I said in awe. I put my palm against it, hearing the magic, still fluid—still breathing—inside. “It’s alive.”
Nick gave me a slow nod. He placed his hand on the heavy metal door ring. “It doesn’t even need a lock. It just knows.”
Of course, I already knew that. The felled doors were impenetrable. That’s why we’d waited until the Topaz was already out before attempting to steal it.
“You’ll need to come in after me.” He turned his eyes to the rough, dark wood. “Single entrance only.”
I crossed my arms, smiling crookedly. I didn’t drink very often, and I hadn’t had anything at dinner, but standing at the threshold of the Vault with Nick made me a little lightheaded. “Final test? Because this door won’t let me through if I have ill intentions?”
He winked at me as he swung the door open and disappeared behind it. The door groaned and echoed in the dimly lit hallway as it shut behind him. I put my hand on the door again, closing my eyes as I listened to the rhythm of its song.
The wood even felt warm.
I slid my hand down to the ring, gripping it with a small prayer. I coveted everything beyond that door, and I only hoped the door knew I meant it in the nerdiest and most innocent of ways.
I pulled the ring.
The door swung open. It didn’t have weight—it was like I was touching nothingness.
Nick stood on the other side, facing me with both hands in his pockets.
“I half suspected you wouldn’t be joining me,” he said in a cocky tone.
I raised my chin and stepped through, the door groaning shut behind me. “Oh, ye of little faith.”
His eyes wandered over me. “You were a thief when I met you. Trust, but verify.”
The inside of the Vault was even darker, and the musky smell of dust and old, dried sage overtook me. The magic orbs above us barely lighted it, their enchantments quietly clanking. Aside from that noise, however, the vault was eerily quiet. Every artifact was meticulously stored so that it didn’t leach into anything around it.
Nick took a step toward me, the sound of his wards and trace magic a peaceful track in the quiet, and I didn’t back down. His eyes were dark and dilated. He kept his voice soft, and it still echoed in the vast warehouse around us.
“I know you said not to try anything down here.” He pushed a few loose strands of my hair away from my face and a shiver of excitement ran through me. “But there’s one formality I’d like to get out of the way before we go exploring. May I?”
I tried not to change my breathing, but my heart started to race. Nick knew it, and I saw his lips twitch at a smile.
“Yes,” I breathed.
His hand returned to my face, thumb brushing across my cheekbone, and my knees felt weak. When his lips touched mine, even the sound of the lights went silent as I lost myself in the feel of my hammering heart.
His touch was so gentle and controlled, and I knew my speeding pulse was driving him insane. Not even daywalkers could escape the desire for fresh blood.
He turned his face away and I felt his shaky breath against my neck before he moved back.
His eyes stayed closed. “You were nervous.”
I took a step toward him, reaching for his hand. Our fingers entwined.
“Your pulse is still going.” He breathed a laugh.
I tilted my face up to him, and our lips touched again.
A scream cut through the silence.
Chapter 5
We turned to stare at the door. Another horrified shriek echoed through the hallways of the labyrinthine mansion as Nick pushed the felled door open and we both wandered out single file and listened.
The screaming woman started to yell something, but panic garbled her words.
“That’s Molly Wolffkyn,” I said under my breath.
“Go back in the vault,” Nick said in a low voice. “I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared, his vampiric speed too fast for my eyes to process. I stood alone in the hallway, listening as Molly screamed Axel’s name.
Like hell I was staying there. I was more powerful than Nick on his best day.
I ran, losing my way in the corridors as I worked my way toward the discord. When I finally found Molly, Nick had her in his arms as they both sat in a heap on the wet floor. He held her head to keep her turned away from the glass doors that led out onto one of the property’s many porches.
Nick was disappointed, but probably not surprised, to see me. “Don’t look.”
I looked.
There was a werewolf outside, its hulking form doubled over as it worried something on the whitewashed deck boards about ten feet outside the door. I walked up to the glass, trying to see what the wolf was doing.
Something dark spread across the porch, the contrast visible even through the fog on the pane. I reached for the light switch on the wall.
“Jette!” Nick growled. “Don’t!”
The wolf looked up, jowls shaking and dripping as its green eyes focused on me with a snarl that shook the glass.
My hand hung just over the switch and my stomach gave a horrible lurch. The wolf grabbed the thing on the porch and started to drag it away. Arms and legs sprawled out.
Lighting crackled across the sky, illuminating the gruesome scene.
Gods. It was a man in a white bathrobe. At least, it was most of a man.
Another wolf arrived and tackled the first. The sound of their howls and snarls was like silverware thrown in a garbage disposal as they fought over the lifeless body of Axel Hayden. More wolves came, grabbing at any piece they could reach, and I turned away before I had to witness the carnage that followed.
“We have to help him,” Molly said in a hyped whisper. “We can’t leave him out there—we have to—No!”
Nick held Molly securely, keeping her on the floor as she reached for the door handle. “There’s nothing we can do for him now. He’s gone, Molly. I’m sorry.”
She collapsed into fresh hysteria. I felt dizzy and ill, keeping my back turned to the windows as the wolves brawled behind me.
I closed my eyes, but the image of the gored man was burned into my brain. When I looked again, Nick was already moving. He’d lifted Molly into his arms and made for the far end of the hall. I put a hand on the wall to steady myself and followed him.
I was better by the time we were in the sitting room. Nick set Molly on a gold camel-back tufted sofa, resting her head on a fringed throw pillow before turning to me.
The events were so horrible that I didn’t know what to say. Molly was whimpering on the couch.
Nick wiped a hand over his face, keeping his voice low. “The floor was wet and the door was shut when I got there. I’m going to check for a note, and I need you to stay here with her.”
A note, of course. I couldn’t imagine Axel walking out those doors on his own, but even my cursory glance told me there were no signs of a struggle.
“Jette.” His eyes locked with mine. “Get her talking. Listen. I do
n’t think she could have overpowered him, but something happened here. Don’t trust anyone.”
Nick disappeared again. There was no time for social niceties when someone was dead. I went back to the couch, eyeing Molly with suspicion, but I dismissed the thought quickly.
She was freaking out in a way that most people couldn’t fake, and she was at least a head shorter than Axel and much lighter. Even in his advanced age, he could have fought her off.
That’s cop logic. I shook my head. Remember, these people have magic.
Had I heard a curse back by the windows? Even trying to conjure the memory made me shiver. All I remembered hearing was the sound of the vicious teeth snapping and tearing at each other and the body. Even if there had been no wolves, the house was too loud for the subtleties of my gift. Any misplaced curse could get lost here.
If there was even a chance, I would have to go back to be sure.
“Molly,” I said gently. I went to the couch and sat on the edge. “I’m going to leave, just for a moment, and then I’m coming right back.”
She latched onto my hand like a vice. Sniffles and sobs broke her voice. “Someone... murdered... Axel!”
I hushed her. Even through the cacophony of magic inside the house, I could hear someone starting to move. “We don’t know that, Molly. I’m just going to leave for a moment—”
“Axel wouldn’t have done this himself.” Her carefully applied eye makeup was smeared and running down her face. I glanced uncertainly at the doors to the sitting room, hoping Nick would return soon. Molly’s expression contorted to chilling anger. “He wouldn’t have. This was Amos.”
“Amos?”
“He’s out of money and he knew Axel wouldn’t give him more. It’s the only reason he showed up this time. Axel invites him for every holiday and he never comes, but he came this time.”
I nodded. “Okay. What do you remember? How did you find Axel?”
Her eyes searched the ceiling. “We were in the office discussing the finances for my business. He said he was going to get some fresh air and I thought he was stepping up to the roof—there’s a caged observation deck up there—but he didn’t come back. I went out to look.” She paused. “It was the water on the floor that made me stop. I thought he’d spilled something, and I started calling for him.” She cringed. “That terrible beast growled at me! I didn’t even know it was there, but then it growled, and it had him in its mouth. It was shaking him like a toy.”
A cold sweat broke across my brow.
“What’s going on in here?” I looked over just in time to see Skyla close the door behind her. “Mother!”
She ran to the couch as Nick came in through a different door. “No note.”
“Note?” Skyla said, startled. She refocused her attention on her mother and I moved away, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants legs. “Mother, what happened?”
“Amos murdered Axel,” she said with certainty. “I’m sure of it.”
Nick and I shared an uneasy stare. She was pushing the story hard.
“What?” Skyla’s eyes fluttered. “Amos couldn’t have—”
“He did.” Molly said through gritted teeth. She shook her head. “I’m certain of it. I’ve always told you to stay away from him. He’s nothing like Axel, and the only thing that ever interested him was waiting until the money was his so he didn’t have to do any work for it—!”
“Okay.” The weight of Nick’s tone made them both turn and stare at him. “Molly, did you see Amos?”
She sniffed, eyes wandering once more. “I’m almost sure I heard someone running away. Yes, I’m sure it was him.”
I shook my head, the movement nearly invisible, but I saw Nick’s eyes flick my way. She hadn’t mentioned anyone running away before.
“Ms. Wolffkyn, I assume you and your mother will be okay for a moment.” Nick nodded to me. “Jette, a word, please.”
We stepped into a corner.
“I need to see the body again,” I whispered. “I might be able to hear if he was under any influence.”
Nick drew breath and sighed, putting his hands on his hips. “The body’s gone. It’s been dragged off. You won’t be able to do an examination until morning at the earliest, but with this rain, it might be longer.”
He pulled out his phone and showed me the weather report. Rain. For three days.
And the wolves loved the rain.
“What did she say?”
I glanced back at the Wolffkyns just in time to see them both divert their eyes. They started whispering to each other.
“She didn’t see anything,” I said. “She was discussing business with Axel in the study and he left. She found him after.”
Nick glanced back at his phone. “It’s after eleven. A little late to be discussing business.”
I shrugged, giving him a look. Did I have to spell it out? I raised my hands to use air quotes. “They were discussing business.”
“She’s wearing shoes.”
I turned back, and caught Skyla narrowing her eyes at me. Nick was right, though.
“So?”
“So, do you bother with shoes when you’re stepping out of bed for a moment? I don’t.”
“They’re flats.”
He looked confused. “That makes a difference?”
“Hell, yes, it makes a difference!”
“Excuse me.”
We both stopped to look at Skyla.
“I’m taking my mother to bed now.”
Nick squared his stance to face her. “I have a few more questions—”
“We’re leaving in the morning,” Skyla said forcefully. “You can pin this on someone else. We don’t want any trouble.”
Nick started to walk toward her.
I put a hand on his chest to stop him. “Go to bed, Molly. We can figure this out tomorrow.”
Nick turned away from me, pacing as Skyla took her mother from the room. After the door had shut behind them, Nick whirled on me.
“Axel wouldn’t have done this.”
“Molly agrees,” I conceded.
“She was the last person to see him alive, and now she’s acting suspiciously.”
I bit my lip and shook my head. “She’s acting like she was just found with a rich dead guy by two agents of the Bleak. Not to impugn your honor, but Bleak agents aren’t exactly known for being understanding or thorough, Nick. They’re known for imprisoning people on the whispers of social enemies. They aren’t leaving tomorrow. Let me see the body and something will turn up.”
He knew I was right even if he didn’t like it. He gave a curt nod. “You’ll be able to tell in twelve hours? I know this stuff has an expiration date.”
“There should be enough trace magic left,” I reassured him. “Truthfully, I’m not one hundred percent sure what the wolves will do to it, but half a day wouldn’t be enough for entropy to set in under normal circumstances.”
He nodded again. His jaw clenched and he stalked out of the room. I stayed on his heels, afraid of losing my way.
“You’re staying in my room tonight.”
“That’s a little forward of you,” I said dryly.
Chapter 6
I tried to sleep. The next day was going to be rough, what with a former client mysteriously dying a brutal death, but sleep wouldn’t come. When Nick finally threw himself down on the bed next to me, I rolled over to give him a dirty look.
“Word of this is going to get back to Marge, and she will get the wrong impression.”
He shrugged indifferently. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“She has her ways.”
“Flats,” he said. “Explain.”
“Slip-ons,” I replied. “And if I was having an affair, yes, I would absolutely put on shoes before leaving the room. Otherwise, I’d end up explaining to someone why I was discussing business with my shoes off.”
Nick rolled to his back. By the look on his face, he still didn’t believe me.
“I’m sorry about you
r friend.”
“Axel was never a friend,” Nick said. “But thank you.”
“Did you see any mud on the floor?”
“No,” Nick replied immediately. “I had the same thought. Whoever did this must have shoved him out, or they would have risked tracking something back in.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That would take some balls, what with all of the werewolves outside the house. Axel would have had to be distracted, too, to not notice the door was open, what with the rain and the wind.”
Nick exhaled through his nose. “Or he was unconscious.”
“Someone just happened to be waiting for him to leave the room, managed to quietly subdue him and drag the body to the door? That sounds risky.”
“Risk is the M.O. here. Killing a man while his mistress is waiting is nothing compared to disposal by werewolf in that fashion. I mean, unless it was the mistress. She is having an affair behind her husband’s back.”
“You’re sure Sergio doesn’t know?”
Nick smirked. “I’ve met Sergio. He would take it as a personal attack. What about Skyla? She was on the scene fast. She couldn’t have been sleeping.”
My heart dropped as I reflected on what I’d heard at dinner. The thing I knew that Molly most certainly didn’t want to get out, especially if her husband was the man Nick described.
“Did you know that Axel’s a sharp caster?” I asked quietly.
“A what?”
I gestured with my hand, looking for the common term. They were so rare, there wasn’t occasion to speak of them often. “A restorer. A reverse caster. Did you know?”
Nick looked confused. “Yes, of course. It’s the only way with some of the things he keeps lying around. Why?”
I swallowed. I wasn’t sure if it was relevant, but sooner or later, this powder keg was going to go off. It was better that Nick knew. “Skyla is a reverse caster, too. I heard it at dinner.”
Nick’s expression turned grave. “You’re sure?”
“Completely.”
He stood up, frowning. “That’s a grave allegation.”
“It’s not an allegation. It’s an observation. I would testify to the fact, but I don’t need to. There are tests.” I paused. “And I don’t think the Bleak would care if Molly Wolffkyn had an affair—”