Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  “Runic magic. Fuck me,” Deangelo whispered.

  “Fuck us all,” I said. “If a rogue has runic magic and is willing to use it…it broke reality thirty years ago, so I’m not sure what else could happen. Armageddon?”

  “Oh, that’s all,” Val said as he and Fox returned.

  “Fox? Report?”

  “That’s not a human male. It’s a thought-form, a—”

  Deangelo sliced his hand down to cut him off, then looked at me. “Seems that you do know what you’re talking about. But to me and to the OS you are still an unknown.”

  “I’m not particularly happy with the OS right about now, either, Second Warden.” I didn’t have time to argue with him. I was barely one step ahead of the OS and it looked like trying to get an address on this guy wasn’t going to help me locate the man. But I had to find him. My best bet was to scry. “I’ll get the information out of the mage when I find him, then send him your way.” I turned and headed for my car.

  “Wait.” He demanded and I fought the urge to flip him off. “What is it you want with this mage?”

  I didn’t stop and I didn’t turn around. “He may know something about the murder of my business partner.”

  “Murder? Why aren’t you letting the OS Investigative Division handle that?”

  I stopped and turned, settling my hands on my hips. Flynn watched the interchange between us with interest, his tiny claws gripping tight to my coat. “I went to the OS when Olivia was killed. Someone has tampered with Warden Somerset’s memory.”

  “What?” His look was skeptical. “That’s a very serious crime against the OS. It’s punishable by death.”

  “That’s not all. They’ve also tampered with Elmira Shore, and Olivia’s body is missing from the morgue. So I don’t have a whole lot of options here, except to investigate on my own, and if you’re not interested in collaborating, then I’m outta here.” I turned to go, but before I got halfway to my car, the vamp moved in a blur until he was in front of me.

  “Wait.”

  He looked at Rayne and she inclined her head. “We need all the help we can get, Deangelo, and she’s good in a fight.”

  He sighed, still not looking happy.

  “Deputize me or something,” I said.

  He swore under his breath. “Are you willing to sign a waiver? I can take you on as a consultant.”

  I smiled. “Done. I can’t tell you his name because he has a spell on it. It’ll just come out sounding like gibberish. But I can tell you he is part of the Order of the Third Eye.”

  “The Order of the Third Eye!?” Rayne looked at her boss with raised eyebrows.

  His brows rose, but he lost nothing of his dark, vamp confidence. “Are you sure about this intel?”

  “I got it from a reliable source,” my stomach dropping at the thought of how close I’d been to the stitching on the cowled man’s sleeve, the one with the hand holding that shadow blade. “You see, one of the mage’s thought-forms tried to kill me a couple of weeks ago when I used a mirror spell to replay my business partner’s murder. I noticed the stitching on his cowl. Like I said, a thought-form is a carbon copy of the conjurer. He couldn’t hide what order he was from. A thought-form is all about truth, even if it’s deadly. It was definitely the Order of the Third Eye.”

  “And his name. Where did you get that information?”

  I couldn’t tell him even if I wanted to. The man hadn’t felt it necessary to introduce himself. “Like I said. From a reliable source.”

  All four members of the OS exchanged glances.

  “Are you aware that the leader of the Order of the Third Eye is none other than The Mage Tower Master and leader, Tarquin Wilding?” Val said.

  “I’m up on The Cauldron leadership, but not really on the mages. I’m a freaking caterer. My biggest worry a few weeks was whether to put pork or chicken on the menu. I’ve only been able to ‘remember’ things that happened in the past three years. So, what happened before then is news to me.”

  “He wields a lot of power in the Twin Cities. He was one of the mages who created wards to prevent objects and media from becoming real,” Val said.

  “It really doesn’t matter to me if he’s the grand ruler of the universe.” I said, my voice rising, “I’m going to do what it takes to track this guy down.”

  “Let’s get something straight, Lily,” he said holding my gaze as easily as a cat held a mouse’s. “I run this team, and if you’re going to be a part of it, then you’ll take orders from me. We don’t go off half-cocked at the OS. We gather evidence, and when it’s sound, we act on it.”

  “Sounds to me like you’re ignoring good, solid evidence. What reason would I have to lie? That mage murdered my friend and got away with it. I don’t have an OS investigation. I don’t have any help there at all. I can’t even bury her because I don’t have her body, since the freaking OS misplaced it! There’s been no autopsy, either. If you check, you’ll find out no one knows about it. How can I trust that you’ll do what’s right at all?!”

  I was almost shouting. I knew it wouldn’t help me get any closer to Archmage Tarquin Wilding, who might have information on Cole Bleak, but this red tape was already making me crazy. It annoyed me to find myself trying to convince “my boss” that what I was telling him was true. I also just realized that I was yelling at a vampire. An OS sanctioned vampire. But I couldn’t back down.

  “You don’t have proof that this mage killed anyone. You have a mirror spell that isn’t admissible in court. You tell me you saw the stitching on his cowl, but again, you have no concrete proof. I can’t take any of that shit to court and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this man is your mage. What I can prove is that he fucking killed six of my wardens. I can prove that he trapped them and murdered them in cold blood.

  His eyes glittered as he delivered his final blow. “I’m not going to jeopardize my case against the rogue with your word. I don’t know you. I don’t trust you. This will be done my way or you can walk. We’ll shut you out, Ms. Starbuck, make no mistake about that. Either you enjoy your life and work for me or it’s a jail cell.”

  I should have known better. The OS wasn’t big on bartering. “You can’t do that. We had a bargain.”

  “Lily,” Val said, stepping between me and his agitated boss. “We know how you feel. All of us, Rayne, Fox, and I, lost friends the day that mage sprung his trap. We got out alive. But they didn’t. The Second Warden is right. It’s not about what we know or guess. It’s about what we can prove. I come from a fictional world. But in the HellCross Slayer stories, we stuck together. When five of us were Realized, I was thankful to have my friends with me in this brave new world. Three of those friends are still alive, but Spike Evans isn’t. Work with us, not against us. That’s the only way your friend will get her justice.”

  I met his copper eyes, so filled with sorrow and hope, and then I looked at Rayne and Fox. My heart twisted at the thought they might be having to handle even a fraction of the pain I was still trying to deal with. I had to find the patience to do this right.

  I reached out and squeezed Val’s arm, and he nodded with a sad smile. Meeting Rayne and Fox’s eyes, I exhaled heavily.

  I looked at Deangelo. “All right. I’ll do it your way, Second Warden.”

  He nodded. “But first get this mess cleaned up,” Deangelo said. Giving Rayne a pointed look before switching his attention to me, he said, “I’m going to look into what you said about Warden Somerset and the witch—what was her name?”

  “Elmira Shore,” I responded and his eyes widened.

  “She’s very powerful.”

  “Be careful,” I said. “A coercion spell was transferred to me by someone in the OS lobby, slipped into my aura where it was masked until I made it up to Warden Somerset’s office. Once there, I went ballistic and almost took them all out before they subdued me. Elmira believes that whoever planted the spell was trying to get me killed.”

  “I will be very careful.” He
looked away, then back at me. “This should never have happened to you, Lily. We are here to prevent attacks against our citizens. You should never have had to take matters into your own hands.”

  I nodded somewhat mollified by his apology. I still didn’t like him or trust him, but it was nice to know that at least a few wardens were on my side.

  “In light of this information about the spell in your aura, and the fact that you’re going to be working with us, I want to make sure you’re clean. Rayne go back with her to her apartment and check it out.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You’re going to leave us here to clean up the mess. I thought that was a woman’s job,” Val said, immediately zooming into the air away from the unsuccessful sweep of Rayne’s arm. The Realized laughed as he floated just out of her reach.

  Fox chuckled.

  Rayne eyed Val. “You laugh it up, pretty boy. One of these days, you’re not going to be fast enough.”

  “In your dreams, sister. I have the reflexes of a cat. They were written into me so that I could handle all the demons from hell who crossed over.” He stretched out on his stomach in midair, his golden blond hair spilling around him, and grinned.

  “Let’s go,” Rayne said, giving Val one more narrowed-eyed look, but he just turned over, put his hand behind his head, and floated on his back, ignoring her.

  I couldn’t help noticing how that movement tightened the muscles across his chest. Cute and confident. Can’t say I didn’t like that about him.

  Fox sidled up to me. “Welcome to the team, Lily,” he said.

  I took a deep breath. It would be no hardship working with these eye-candy guys. “Thank you. I appreciate the backup. I’m not exactly in my element here.”

  “Sounds like you can hold your own,” he said. “If you want me to take a closer look at your memory loss trauma, let me know.”

  I nodded. “I will, and I appreciate the offer.”

  “That’s not all he wants to take a closer look at, my fair Lily,” Val said, opening his eyes and smirking.

  Fox turned and casually shot out a bolt of electricity that hit Val in the backside. He jumped and flew up higher, giving Fox a disgusted look while rubbing his butt. It’s a wonder how Val managed to avoid being trounced by either one of his teammates.

  “You coming, Starbuck?” Rayne sniped over her shoulder. “Or you going to play around with the boys?”

  That got Val to sit upright and put that mischievous smirk back on his face. Fox gave me a smoldering look.

  The experience with Talon had been…powerful, but he wasn’t quite out of my system. I gave the two men another look before turning away. Fox was a dark, enigmatic healer who might be able to help me with my memory loss, and Val was a hot, hot mess of Realized anime. I had to admit, they both intrigued me, and Val’s sarcastic, charmingly boyish antics made me laugh. But I wasn’t going to add any more complications to my life, regardless of how appealing they both were.

  Walking across the lawn, I eyed the dead troll and wondered just how they would clean up that big a mess. The OS was very good at what they did, so I was sure there would be no troll traces by the time they’d finished.

  As Rayne walked across to her car, she glanced at me. “Why was your business partner murdered?”

  “I’m working on that. Like I said, a few weeks ago I was just a successful caterer.”

  “Now you’re a kick-ass witch.”

  I snorted and gave her a sidelong glance. “Only by accident. And I really don’t know why Olivia was murdered.”

  “Certainly you must have some inkling.”

  I looked at her. “I don’t know you yet, and, for all intents and purposes, you are still the law. So, please excuse me if I’m not quite forthcoming with the details.” After all, I’d been played by Olivia, I was on Chris Bailey’s shit list, there was a dead vamp running around Haven’s End who would probably suck me dry on sight, the OS was being tampered with, and I had the ability to pull the Torrent through me without a familiar or a circle. So many things to wonder and worry about.

  “Fair enough. I’m not your enemy, Lily.”

  “Thank you. But I’ve been burned, and most recently by my business partner, so, once again, I feel the need for a bit of reserve. I will tell you what I told the OS warden and witch.”

  “That’s a good start.”

  I relayed everything that had happened, starting with the catering job when I found out that our services were to make a dent in the bill that we owed our supplier, right up to and including when I walked into the Magic13 and the witch didn’t recognize me.

  I left out the illegal dust, the details about how I had gotten Cole Bleak’s name, and the means I’d used to save Talon Sunstrike’s life.

  “We’d better get going,” she said.

  I drove my car and Rayne followed me. When I pulled up to my apartment, Talon and his flunkies were once again staking me out. I felt the pull to talk to him, but I knew it was better to keep my distance.

  Rayne eyed them as she walked up to me. “Let’s see if you’re place is magically clean.”

  “Clean?” I quipped as we started up the stairs. “What does that mean? Are you going to check my shower to make sure I have soap?”

  Rayne didn’t even crack a smile.

  “Tough audience,” I murmured.

  She gave me a cool, bemused look. “I’m going to check to make sure you’re not under surveillance.”

  I stopped climbing, and Rayne stopped beside me. She gave me a puzzled look.

  I said, “Um…I kinda am.”

  Her short, dark hair swung against her cheek as her light grey eyes widened slightly. “Under surveillance?”

  I closed my eyes and whined, “Yes.”

  “That explains why the FDA is staking out your building. It’s because of you? Why?”

  “My murdered business partner is suspected of dealing in illegal dust.”

  Her thin black brows bunched. “And, was she?”

  “I couldn’t really say.” I hedged. I didn’t really know Rayne, and I certainly didn’t know if I could trust her. It was best that I kept all my damaging secrets to myself for now.

  She stared at me unblinking. “And you got caught up in the backlash?”

  Again I whined, “Yes, I have three dust hounds on my trail. They follow me pretty much everywhere.” Then something occurred to me. I technically worked for the OS now. I wondered as I looked at her serene face. “Do you think Deangelo could do something about that?”

  She shrugged. “We have worked with the FDA in the past, but I’m not sure we can affect an ongoing investigation.” She gave me a direct look. “Did you know about the illegal dust?”

  “No, I didn’t.” At least that was the truth. I’d had no idea Olivia was lacing our cream with pure dust.

  She nodded and started up the stairs. “That’s good enough for me. If we need to ditch the FDA, we can,” she said. “Remember, we have a forerunner, and Val is extremely good at what he does. Even though he’s a pain in my ass.” This time she did smile.

  But it faded from her face when we hit the top of the stairs. My landlady was there tacking a yellow paper to my door. “Tracy?”

  She whirled around and looked guilty, changing again when she saw the small dragon. I could tell she wanted to comment on him, but didn’t. Her face went hard. “I’m sorry, Lily. I really am, but I can’t let you live here anymore. I have a paying renter. I’m evicting you. You, your little friend, and that…adorable dragon will have to be out by the end of the day.”

  “Did she just call me adorable?” he whispered in my ear, then preened himself for her benefit.

  I just stood there, totally floored. I couldn’t possibly move out today. I wondered, if I played the new-dragon-adjustment-period card would she relent? “What? I can’t possibly.”

  Rayne put her hand on my arm. “She’ll be out by the end of this weekend.”

  Tracy eyed Rayne, then she froze as Rayne’s grey
eyes fastened on hers. I saw her shiver. “All right. End of the weekend,” she said nervously, sidling past us and hastening down a few stairs. “I’m sorry, but that’s the way it has to be.” Then she was hurrying down the rest of the stairs, her retreating voice getting distant. “Good luck to you.”

  I walked up to the door and ripped the eviction notice off and used my key to get in.

  “There’s no reason to check around since you have to move out,” she said looking around my living room. “This is nice, though.”

  I sat down on the couch. I sighed. I was so tired all I could do was cover my face and groan. “Dammit, now I have to move, and I have no place to go. I’ve got three catering gigs coming up. This is a disaster…”

  “How did this happen?”

  I raised my head and met her clear grey eyes. “I didn’t mention earlier that my business partner stripped our accounts and neglected to pay the bills for six months before she was murdered. I’m flat broke.”

  “Oh, that sucks.” For the first time since I met her, her hard eyes softened.

  Where the heck was I going to go? I couldn’t afford to rent another apartment, at least not one with a kitchen as amazing as this one. Although I had every intention of taking my fridge with me.

  My stomach knotted. I now had a dragon and a gnome to house as well. As if on cue, Flynn nuzzled my face, cooing softly, the trilling sound went through me and—lo and behold—did the trick. It must have been some kind of dragon magic.

  But still, I would be so screwed if I couldn’t continue with my catering business. Just the thought of not being able to cook made me jittery.

  “Lily, I know that you don’t know me, but I can see that you’re in a tough spot. I own a building in St. Paul. It’s an old apothecary shop. I’ve renovated it and live on the second and third floors. It’s got three bedrooms. We’ll split the mortgage and utilities and take care of our own food. I have a gourmet kitchen.”