by Linsey Hall
Hedy stood. “But I’d like to go check the magic for myself. This can’t be good. Depending upon what we find, we’ll alert the other heads of the department and decide what to do.”
I nodded, liking that plan, and stood to join her.
There was no single boss of the Undercover Protectorate, as I’d learned. Caro had given Ana and me a complete rundown of operations. Arach, the dragon spirit, was the closest thing to one, but she only showed up in case of emergency. Instead, the five leaders of the different divisions made decisions as a group.
“I don’t like this,” Caro muttered, her sea-colored eyes dark with worry.
She wasn’t the only one. The stress of the other Protectorate members hung heavy in the air. This kind of thing was clearly unusual. Their stronghold was never breached…and this was the second attempt in two weeks.
It didn’t take us long to return to the forest. Ana, Caro, Ali, Haris, and I hurried along behind Jude and Hedy. The silence was tense, with even the forest animals keeping quiet. We’d had to make a stop at Hedy’s workshop to gather some of her tools, and by the time we were back in the forest, my nerves were frayed.
Would the creepy figure try to come out of the portal again? To speak to me?
“It really talked to you?” Ana whispered.
“Yeah.” And fates, I hoped it talked to someone else next time.
As we followed the path between the gnarled old trees, the fairy lights seemed to sparkle brighter, darting around.
“Fairy lights are anxious,” Caro said.
“Something feels very wrong,” Haris murmured. He rubbed his sweatshirt-clad arms and looked around nervously.
“Seconded,” Ali said.
I’d never seen the guys go anywhere without tossing a ball between them or kicking their hacky sack as they walked. But now, they were as alert as if we were going into battle. Bodies tense and magic thrumming on the air. Their forms flickered in and out of existence, as if they were holding their invisibility close, ready to deploy it.
Seeing the powerful Djinn nervous ratcheted up my own sense of doom.
“We’re nearly there,” Jude said.
The rotten egg stink was starting to hit me, making my eyes water. “You guys smell that?”
They all sniffed, their noses wrinkling.
“A light smell of something off?” Hedy asked from up ahead on the path.
“A light smell?” I shook my head. “No way. Really strong, like rotten eggs.”
“It may be getting stronger,” Jude said.
She didn’t sound convinced. They didn’t smell it as strongly as I did.
I hurried along the path, closing the gap between me and Jude and Hedy, who led the group. We were near the clearing, close enough that I could see the black gleam of the polluted portal.
I pointed. “There, see?”
Were the black veins of dark magic even farther out now? Spreading?
We approached, stopping about twenty feet away. The portal gleamed an oily black, but the creature wasn’t there.
“It looks darker,” Hedy said. “The gray is nearly black?”
“Nearly?” I looked at her, shocked. “It’s black as an oil spill. And the smell.”
I nearly gagged just standing here.
“It’s stronger now, yes.” Jude’s nose wrinkled. “It could be dark magic. It’s quite rank.”
“It’s definitely dark.” I turned to Ana. “You see it, right?”
A doubtful expression wrinkled her brow. “I see what they see. Dark gray. And a bit of a smell. But nothing like what you describe.”
I looked at the others, confusion clouding my mind. Caro looked like she wanted to see it, but she didn’t. Neither did Ali and Haris.
“We’re not saying you’re wrong,” Caro said. “Just that you may be capable of seeing something we’re not.”
Ah, hell. If my newly developing powers involved seeing horrible dark magic that talked to me like a creepy stalker, that was not good.
“I’m going to test it,” Hedy said. “We take all threats seriously, especially since the break-in two weeks ago.”
“Is the creature here now? The one that spoke to you?” Jude’s hand hovered near the long dagger at her waist. She might not see it, but she did believe me. Thank fates.
“No. It only appeared briefly, then disappeared.”
Jude turned to Hedy, who was digging around in the big bag she’d brought along. “How long will this take you?”
“An hour or two.” She pulled out her long wand. “The magic is faint. It’ll take a while to identify what is happening.”
Jude nodded. “You do that. When you’re done, we’ll convene the council.” Jude looked at me and Ana. “And don’t the two of you have training to be at?”
My mouth dropped open. “What about this?”
“Hedy has it under control. But you are still trainees. And today is the day that tutors are assigned.” Her gaze dropped to my shirt, which I only now realized was covered in glitter. “And you, Bree, clearly need your tutor.”
My cheeks burned at the same time a groan of frustration nearly escaped me. I choked it back.
When Ana and I had signed up for this gig, Caro had warned us that training would be a bitch.
And boy, had she been right.
I’d spent all morning fighting monsters in the forest, but that still left time for training in the afternoon. With a tutor.
Which I was so not going to like.
I was starting to think maybe I wasn’t made of the right stuff, after all. I was a badass out in the desert, but those conditions were perfect for me. This place made me question myself in ways I never had.
“We’ve brought in a specialist to help you with your specific powers,” Jude said, “since it’s the sonic boom that is giving you the most trouble, Bree. And Ana, there will be one for your power as well.”
She was right. My sonic boom—the magic I’d relied on for so long—was going totally haywire. A couple weeks ago, I’d developed a power over water that was much easier to control. Why I was having trouble with the sonic boom was anyone’s guess. But I needed to learn to control it if I was going to find a place here.
I nodded. “Will you tell me what you find here?”
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Jude’s lips. “When you’re done training.” Her gaze fell on the rest of them. “Don’t you all have something to be doing? Cases to solve?”
Caro, Ali, and Haris all jumped, then turned and hightailed it through the woods.
Ana and I followed them, sticking close together on the forest path. She was training just as hard as I was, but her goal was to expand her protective shield magic and to learn long-range weapons.
We were settling in pretty nicely at the Protectorate, even though it was totally different than our old life back in Death Valley Junction. Our days were full of training and our nights full of hanging out with Caro, Ali, and Haris—sometimes at the Whisky and Warlock in Edinburgh and other nights in our apartments.
So far, we liked it. A lot.
But if we didn’t pass our tests—which were more of the fighting variety than the #2 pencil variety—we wouldn’t get to join. So we worked our butts off.
I hadn’t seen Cade, which was both a blessing and a curse, but all in all, everything had been going pretty smooth until now.
“Are you doing all right?” Ana asked.
“Yeah. Freaked out, but I’ll be fine.” I glanced at her. “You really didn’t see the black oil slick over the portal?”
“No. Just that it looked a little different.”
Damn. Worry nagged me as we walked in silence across the lawn.
We approached the main door of the castle, which loomed overhead, towers reaching for the sky. Mullioned windows glittered in the sunlight, and statues of gargoyles peered down at us. The massive wooden doors swung open, and we entered, hesitating once we reached the middle of the foyer.
“I think we’re supposed to meet in the trai
ning room on the second level,” Ana said. “Do you know who your new trainer is?”
“No. Schedule didn’t say.” At the beginning of each week, we received a list of training and tests we’d have to pass. This one had included a meeting on the second floor where we each hooked up with a trainer.
“Do you think they’ll be able to help with your sonic boom?” Her gaze dropped to my shirt, where the glitter of shame still sparkled.
“I sure hope so.” Because my magic was just as bonkers as ever, despite all the work I’d done here to improve. I could manipulate water when it was nearby, but controlling my sonic boom was nearly impossible. I lowered my voice so only she could hear. “If our magic is supposed to be from dragons, as Arach and our mother said, shouldn’t I have more control? Be better than this?”
A sad expression crossed Ana’s face, and she shrugged. “I have no idea.” She looked at her hands, as if inspecting them for the magic she usually threw out. “I sure as heck don’t feel like I have the magic of dragons. All I can do is create a protective shield.”
I squeezed her shoulder. Ana loathed the fact she had defensive magic in an offensive world. “At least you have control of it.”
“For now. But I’ll go through my change, too. And then I’ll be in your spot.”
“We’ll get through it. Together.” My gaze caught on a man who walked into the foyer behind Ana. He carried a massive stack of books. An idea flared. I met Ana’s gaze. “There’s got to be an enormous library here. What do you say we check it out after training? See if we can figure out anything about our magic.”
She grinned. “I like how you think.”
“We’re here, aren’t we? They’ve got more resources that we could never imagine. Let’s use them.”
She held up her fist for a bump. I bopped it with my own and grinned.
“Great idea, nerd,” she said.
“Love you, double-nerd. Now, let’s go.” I saluted, then turned and took the left sweeping staircase and ran up two at a time, Ana at my side.
We raced by an older man who tutted at us.
“Sorry,” I muttered, then turned left, making my way down the wide stone corridor.
Once again, I was struck by the history and grandeur of the place. A few people passed me, but only two shot me suspicious looks. Not bad. Two was an improvement.
We found the second story training room and stopped at the door. I glanced at Ana and winked, then pushed it open to reveal a large room with a vaulted ceiling and large windows at the end.
Three other trainees—two guys and one girl, turned to look at us—suspicion in their gazes. They’d entered the Academy shortly before us—it was a bit like a magical version of that FBI academy. But we hadn’t mixed with them much, given that my weird powers kept me away from most of the class.
“Hey, Ana,” the girl said, looking through me.
I scowled. Not like I was going to throw my sonic boom at her and blow her up.
“Hey, Lacey,” Ana said.
My gaze caught on a group of five figures at the far end of the room, silhouetted against the bright glass. They stood in a circle speaking, but one stood out from the others.
He looked familiar—at least his size. Then his power hit me. The scent of a storm at sea, the sound of clashing swords and the taste of fresh apples.
My stomach dropped as heat curled low inside me. My skin prickled with awareness, and a light sense of panic suffused my mind.
The five figures disbanded and approached. As they neared, I got a feel for each of their signatures, but it was Cade’s who stood out to me.
Cade. The sexy Celtic war god.
Chapter Two
Shit, shit, shit. The last time I’d seen Cade, I’d kissed him smack on the mouth. It’d been amazing. Award-worthy.
And then excruciatingly embarrassing. Like any rational person would do, he’d told me it couldn’t happen again because we both worked for the Protectorate. A conflict of interest.
The worst thing was…he had a point. Workplaces and flirting were a recipe for awkwardness, at best, and lawsuits, at worst.
Heat burned my cheeks. As much as I still wanted him—and boy did I—all I could remember was the searing embarrassment.
But there was no way he was going to be my trainer. This had to be a mistake. My head buzzed as one of the other trainers stepped forward, a tall woman with long, blonde hair. She cleared her throat, then began to give a lecture about learning from a more advanced member of the Protectorate. I barely processed a word she said.
Then the trainers split up, each heading toward one of the trainees.
Of course, Cade stopped in front of me. We were a good fifteen feet from any of the other trainees, who’d gone off toward the side of the room. It felt like they were miles away. All I could see was Cade—broad-shouldered, quick-witted, handsome as the devil Cade.
“You?” I demanded.
“Me.” His low voice, coated in that sexy Scottish accent, wrapped around me.
“I thought you only took the most dangerous jobs,” I said.
“Aye.” He pointed at me. “And you are the most dangerous job.”
I scoffed. “Hardly.”
“You can blow up a house with your magic only partially charged. And you haven’t gained any more control over that magic in the two weeks you’ve been here. You’re a walking time bomb.” He towered over me. His shoulders were broad enough to block out the light from the windows, and his jawline could cut glass.
My breath shortened as I leaned my head back to make sure my glare landed solidly on him and tried not to focus on his heady scent. It was so good that it distracted me, and I couldn’t afford that. But I’d forgotten how tall he was. At least six and a half feet if he was an inch.
My mind went straight toward our kiss. The feel of his lips, the scent of his skin. It made my head swim.
I shook it.
Get it together.
To get my mind out of the gutter, I went through the sneaky moves I’d use to take him out, a habit I’d gotten into early in life. Right now, it was better than thinking about kissing him. And a dude as big as Cade would require some serious sneakery to take down.
“You’re thinking about how you’d take me out, aren’t you?” He grinned.
“Uh, no.”
He just grinned wider, becoming even more devastatingly attractive.
“Fine. Yes, I was. But how’d you know?”
“Great minds think alike.”
“Oh, you’re thinking about how you’d take me out?” Crap! I slapped a hand over my mouth as heat blazed into my cheeks. “And by that, I meant like a wrestling move. To take me out out. Like in a fight. Not like, in the other way.”
Holy fates, I need to be put in an insane asylum. Somewhere I’d never see humans again and be able to open my mouth. He’d just called me a conflict of interest. Now I was talking about dates?
The corners of his full lips pulled up in a smile and he nodded. “Of course. A wrestling move. Absolutely nothing else.”
“Why you?” I asked. “Couldn’t someone else train me?”
“I’m the only one who can withstand your sonic boom. If it goes awry and hits me, I’ll be fine.”
Right. Shit. Of course.
Back in Death Valley, I’d hit him with a sonic boom meant to pulverize his insides. He hadn’t even wobbled on his feet.
I couldn’t fight that logic.
“Fine.” I cracked my knuckles. “Let’s get this party started. What do I do first, Teach?”
“Let’s take it outside.”
“Fair enough.” I didn’t want to blow up my new home. Especially not a castle this cool.
“This way.” He turned and strode toward the door.
I followed him out of the castle, my eyes constantly darting toward him.
“We’ll go over there.” He pointed to a spot near the enchanted forest. “The magic of the forest might help give you some control.”
“R
eally?” I’d never heard of anything like that before.
“That’s where the dragons’ magic is the strongest. It’s the place they originally enchanted with their magic.”
“Is that why the Fae built their portal there?” I asked, wondering if I should mention the issue with the portal. But Hedy and Jude had it under control. And if I didn’t like what they told me about it, maybe I’d mention it.
I hoped they’d believe that it was a big deal. Because if they didn’t….I’d have to take matters into my own hands. Something was clearly wrong, and I couldn’t just ignore it.
“It’s the reason they were able to build the portal there, aye,” Cade said. “Wait here a moment.” He jogged toward the forest and disappeared inside, returning after a few moments with an armful of large, dead branches.
His expression upon leaving the forest was slightly off—wrinkled brow, worried eyes.
“What is it?” I asked, wondering if he felt it too.
I couldn’t be crazy. I’d really seen that black oil slick and heard the monster that had tried to escape.
“Forest feels off,” he said.
I was about to open my mouth to explain, but he shook his head. “Could just be me. Years of war have made me wary. But you need to train.”
He turned away from me to set the sticks up in a semicircle, each about thirty meters from the other. He dusted off his hands and looked at me. “Targets.”
“All right.” I rubbed my sweating palms against my jeans. I’d focus on this for an hour, give Hedy and Jude long enough to figure out the problem in the forest, then I’d maybe mention it to Cade.
Everyone was right, anyway. I really needed to get a handle on my magic. The amulet Cade had given me before to help me control my magic had been a temporary stopgap. I needed to be the one driving this car.
“So, you just want me to blast one?” I asked.
“It’s a start.”
“Yep.” One that I wasn’t feeling super great about. But I tried, because what else was I going to do?
I sucked in a deep breath and called upon my magic. As usual, it zipped around my chest like a lightning bug on speed. Finally, I caught it, mentally gathering it up and hurling it outward.