by K. F. Breene
I ignored his travel plans for a moment. “A bunch of mages? I thought you said it was just one?” I noticed the black Town Car turn the corner. A surge of adrenaline dumped into my body. It was still light out, but my gut reaction was that it had to be Darius. That was the last thing I needed right now. Luckily, as it drew closer, I saw a normal human driver behind the wheel.
“I think this is headed by one mage,” Callie said, “but he, or she, will have followers. Dizzy and I know that from experience. Those with lesser power always flock around stronger mages. I have no idea how many there are, though.”
The driver parked and stepped out, straight-backed and professional. Moss could learn a thing or two—not that he’d lower himself to be polite to me.
“Can you please pop the trunk?” I asked, stepping off my porch. I made a circle in the air with my finger.
“I can take that for you, miss,” the driver said, coming around the car with an outstretched hand.
“Trust me, just pop the trunk. It’s heavy.” I did the finger circle again.
“If you wish.” The man did as instructed, and stood by while I lowered the bag into the trunk.
“I’ll just follow along behind, shall I?” Dizzy asked. “You ride with her, hon, so she can’t ditch us, and get the plane tickets on the way.”
“It’ll probably be sold out so close to the flight.” I waved Callie away. “Seriously, it’ll be fine. I don’t need help. And anyway, they’re paying me.”
“I find it interesting that you won’t be talked out of going, but you assume we will.” Callie pushed me toward the car. “Get in, you’re wasting time. Besides, I’ve never been to Seattle. I hear it’s nice this time of year.”
“Actually, let’s stop by our house.” Dizzy pointed at my face. “It’s only a matter of time before you burn off your eyebrows again.”
He had a point.
“Dang it. Fine. But you’ll have to take a back seat if there’s any danger.”
Callie snorted and pushed me again, bustling me into the car without a word. The woman had skills. She turned to tell Dizzy to hurry up, and I saw the word Bounce written across the butt of her velvet orange sweats.
“It’s just not right to put those sayings on girls’ butts,” I said, wisely not attaching an age to that pronouncement.
“Why? I got bounce yet.” Thankfully, Callie didn’t prove it.
After stopping at their house, dropping off their car, and getting more supplies, Callie, Dizzy and I sat in the back of the Town Car as Callie scowled down at her phone.
“I don’t see any flights going to Seattle at this time of day. Are you sure it’s not an a.m. flight?” she asked me.
“Oh. Uh…” I tapped into the email and handed my phone off.
She squinted down at the screen before shaking her head and handing it back. “That’s too small. Make it bigger.”
“Do you not know how to work a cell phone?” I did as instructed and handed it back.
“I don’t want to mess with your phone. Some people have issues with that.”
“We both know I’m not one of those people.”
“You never know,” she mumbled. “This isn’t flight information. It says when to be ready, when you’ll get picked up…and then there’s hotel information. Good gracious. Are they paying for that hotel?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I’ve heard of the Edgewater. It’s fancy.”
I peered at the screen. The font was gigantic. “Get some glasses, woman.”
“She thinks they make her look old.” Dizzy glanced over at the phone.
“Well, this makes you look blind.” I pointed at the screen. “It’s probably a sister hotel or something. This is the MLE office. They aren’t splurging. They don’t even have the money to splurge.”
“If you say so.” Callie handed the phone back. “Driver, which airline are you going to?”
“You’ll be going by private jet,” he answered.
“Is this an FBI investigation or something?” Dizzy sounded confused.
I knew how he felt. “Whose jet is it?”
“I wasn’t given the particulars, ma’am,” the driver said. “I was just told when and where to get you, and where to drop you off.”
“You really should question more often,” Callie said in a low voice. “He could be taking you somewhere, right now, to kill you. And you don’t even have your sword on you.”
“I don’t need my sword to use my magic,” I said. “And besides, we’re headed in the right direction for the airport.”
“She’s right, though, Reagan.” Dizzy looked out the window. “You are too trusting.”
“The email came from the captain. I trust him. Clearly he’s got something worked out. This is all on the books.”
“You belong to the magical world.” Callie’s voice was still low—an effort to hide her words from the driver, but it ended up a whisper-shout, still perfectly audible. “People sell out other people all the time. I don’t care who it is—don’t trust anyone.”
“Even you?” I grinned.
“Of course not me. Is this your rebellious stage? Because I’m not liking it.”
“I had that when I was a teen. This is just me taking the piss.”
“That means making fun of you, dear.” Dizzy patted Callie on the thigh.
“I know what it means,” Callie snapped.
Dizzy and I smiled harder.
A half-hour later, the driver pulled right up onto the tarmac by a waiting private jet. Outside stood a woman in a flight attendant uniform with an aviator pin at her breast. Stairs led from the jet’s open door down to the ground, and a red carpet led away from them.
A sinking feeling lodged in my gut as I got out of the car and retrieved my bag.
“This seems awfully luxurious for what we’re doing here,” Dizzy said with a furrowed brow. He took his suitcase from the trunk and stood beside me. “That’s a big one, too. It can fly internationally.”
“How do you know?” Callie looked wary as she looked up at the gleaming white jet cut with blue at the bottom.
“I’ve looked them up. I dream big.” Dizzy hitched up his pants.
“Ms. Somerset, so good of you to join us.” The woman standing beside the steps came forward with a red-lipped smile. “Will your friends be joining you?”
“Yes, they will. Whose jet is this?” I let her lead me to the stairs.
“Just go ahead and leave your bags here. I’ll have those stowed for you.”
I hugged my duffel a little closer. “Actually, I think I’ll hold on to it.”
“I’m afraid your bags have to be stowed. Please, take out whatever you need before you board.” She nodded at us and moved away toward the driver.
“She didn’t answer your question,” Callie said, digging into her suitcase for her satchel. She flung it over her shoulder.
“We might not be able to take that in.” Dizzy pointed at Callie’s newly donned bag. “And we definitely shouldn’t take a gun on an airplane.”
That last comment was directed at me, but I slipped the weapon into my waistline anyway. “It’s fine. No one has to know.”
“Well, I’ll know, and if you miss, I’ll head straight down to the ground with you.” Dizzy shook his head.
“Go,” Callie said, pushing me. “I don’t want to give them time to take away my spells.”
“I feel like a fugitive.” Dizzy crowded in behind me.
“Just go ahead up the stairs,” the flight attendant called out. “We’ll be underway within the half-hour. My assistant, Ms. Eddings, will make sure you are comfortable.”
“I’ve always wanted to fly in one of these. I half worry they’ll shut the door as soon as they have Reagan onboard.” Dizzy looked over the banister and down at the ground. “Our own private runway, too.”
“It’s not a private runway.” I pointed at the huge 747s lining up to fly out. “This is just our own boarding site.”
“Our o
wn boarding site. With no security!” Dizzy shook his head and smiled. “This is a good day.”
“They might still be ferreting us off to kill us.” Callie glanced over her shoulder at the black car creeping along the tarmac, heading back the way we’d come. There went our ride.
“It would have to be someone very rich and powerful to put all this effort into killing us,” Dizzy replied. When I paused at the door, he motioned me onward. “C’mon. We can handle whatever it is. Let’s just enjoy this while it lasts. I bet they serve champagne.”
The interior was every bit as plush as Dizzy must’ve hoped. An oriental rug graced the entranceway. Four chairs filled out each of the compartment’s four corners, arranged so the passengers could easily communicate. Pulled-back curtains stood between that and the next compartment, which had a beige couch on one side and two chairs with a table between them on the other. Just beyond this section was what looked like a bed in the back.
“I’ve died and gone to heaven.” Dizzy stepped around me, moving toward the area with the more social seating arrangement. “What do you think, Reagan? Do you want a chair or the couch?”
“You guys can have the chairs. They’re probably easier to get out of.”
“So thoughtful.” Dizzy sank into the chair with a smile. Callie and I were still in the entryway.
“Welcome,” a woman said from the back, coming toward us. She pulled the curtain across the back compartment with the bed. Apparently we wouldn’t be allowed to take a nap. “Please, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Do you have champagne?” Dizzy asked with a smile.
“Of course. And for you, Ms. Somerset?”
“Water is fine. Thanks.” I sat on the couch and turned so I could look out the window. The sun was kissing the horizon, throwing long shadows across the runway.
“Water. Thank you.” Callie lowered into the seat opposite Dizzy, maintaining a firm hold on her satchel.
“Not champagne?” Dizzy’s face fell.
“We don’t know why we’re on this jet. We don’t even know why that door hasn’t been closed up yet. Sobriety is a good idea right now.” Callie adjusted and looked back toward the door.
“They are waiting for the other flight attendant. She said we’d be underway within the half-hour.” Dizzy softly drummed on the tabletop.
“Why does one person need two flight attendants? They didn’t know we’d be coming.” Callie’s lips tightened, but she didn’t say anything else.
Time ticked by. The flight attendant gave us our drinks and provided us with appetizers, as tasty as one might expect from a fine-dining restaurant. The crew stowed our bags under the plane and fueled up the craft. Still, the door remained ajar. Finally, when I was about ready to call the whole thing off, the black car crawled toward us once again.
“Here’s the secret third party,” I said under my breath.
A man stepped out gracefully. I would recognize that silhouette anywhere—tall and powerful, with muscular, broad shoulders and a refined posture rarely seen in this day and age.
“That rat bastard,” I mumbled.
“What?” Dizzy asked before hurriedly finishing his glass of champagne.
“I can’t see. It’s too dark.” Callie hunched down in order to see out the window opposite her.
“Ah yes, Mr. Durant is here. We can be underway soon.” The attendant’s eyes glittered as she glanced out the window.
I shook my head, fire tingling across my middle.
Darius pulled his suit coat taut across his chest before doing up a button. He glanced up at the very window from which I was watching him. His face remained impassive. He must’ve known the anger he was walking into, but it didn’t show in his expression.
“I am not amused,” I said quietly.
“Do not ruin this beautiful plane, Reagan Somerset,” Dizzy said, relaxing again. He held his glass up for the attendant. “Might I have another, please? Now that we aren’t fearing death, I think all of us could do with some unwinding.”
Callie shook her head at Dizzy in exasperation.
Darius paused outside to speak to the attendant who had been scurrying around. She nodded before continuing to direct the ground crew. After his unhurried walk up the stairs, he appeared in the plane, his body showing off his tailored suit to perfection. “I apologize for making you wait.” He lowered next to me and flicked the button on his jacket open again.
“You buttoned it up just for the short walk in?” I leaned back, feeling anger pinging through my body.
“First impressions are key. Callie, Desmond, so nice to see you again. Will you be accompanying us to Seattle?”
“You bet your ass we will,” Callie said, her bulldog expression firmly in place.
“What a lovely plane you have, Darius,” Dizzy said. “I am in awe. Such luxury.”
“Thank you.” Darius clasped his fingers, his focus on me. “You have questions.”
“Yes, but I’m not at all curious about how fast you can run,” I said. “Do you know why?”
“I couldn’t begin to guess.”
“Because when I teach you a lesson for interfering in my life, running away won’t save you.”
“Fascinating. Horribly inaccurate, but fascinating.” Darius regarded me evenly. “You quit the MLE office.”
“Yes. Why, did you expect me to stay and then thank you for bailing me out?”
“Reagan, I really think a glass of champagne would calm you down.” Dizzy pointed to his glass as it was refilled. “You seem awfully tense. Ouch!”
Dizzy reached down to rub his shin where Callie had just kicked him, a piece of violence Darius and I had been at the perfect vantage point to witness. Judging by her scowl, she didn’t care.
“You are too good to waste away in that office,” Darius said. “I had hoped you’d realize that long before you did.”
“Then why did you make it so I could stay?” I asked suspiciously.
“The short story is, you desired it, and I was in the position to make it happen.”
“And the long story?” I asked.
His eyes flicked toward Callie and Dizzy. “Will need to come at another time. First I should probably explain what I am doing here.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but yes, I needed that answer. I motioned him on.
Darius glanced at the attendant, who took Callie’s empty glass. “Let’s wait until we are underway before I explain.”
“How did you even know I was going?” I asked. “This all happened in the daylight hours.”
“My people received notice that the MLE office was working out a special contract for you. Being that it was done in haste, my daytime attendants woke me. They are well versed in the matters I deem important. Loss of half a day’s sleep was nothing. But that’s no matter. Please, relax. Make yourselves comfortable. Once we are in the air and you are comfortable and sated, I will discuss the upcoming matter in detail. There is a lot to discuss.”
“There is?” It didn’t seem like it, though maybe he hadn’t seen Callie and Dizzy’s old case files.
He didn’t answer me, but he did get me a cheese plate, which was just as good.
After takeoff, it took a solid hour for Darius to be convinced we were comfortable. That we all had plenty of food and drinks, and blankets should we need them. Finally, he waved his hand, and the two flight attendants made themselves scarce. Clearly he and Callie were in agreement about the inadvisability of trusting people, because he put up spells within our compartment to keep what we said private.
“Let’s all get onto the same page,” Darius said, crossing one long leg over the other. He leaned back and draped his arm behind me, over the back of the couch. I prevented myself from giving in to both of my impulses, equally as strong: scooting away like a Nervous Nelly, and scooting into his body. “Reagan, you are the most wound up. Maybe you should start.”
“She has a damn good reason to be wound up, if you ask me.” Callie shifted
and yanked down her pink velvet top. “No woman wants a stalker. I don’t care how good he looks.”
“Honey, have some more whiskey. It’ll do you good.” Dizzy grabbed her glass and looked wistfully in the direction of the missing attendants. “Oh shoot. I forgot they were gone.”
First things first. I hit Darius with a hard stare. “So you’re here why?”
Darius eyed me steadily. “First and foremost, I cannot allow you to walk into danger on your own.”
“Why is that?” Callie tilted her head.
“Yes, why is that?” I repeated.
“And I haven’t been able to, I’ve realized, since you nearly died in my arms,” he continued.
“I’m missing something, I think, and it’s not just the champagne.” Dizzy tapped the bottom of his empty glass. “I feel like I should’ve heard about that.”
“I’ll say.” Callie stared at me with wide eyes.
“It was nothing.” I waved it away.
“It doesn’t sound like nothing,” Callie said.
“There were things surrounding that situation that I can’t talk about.” Like the fact that unicorns were real and the vampires protected them. “So unless you also want to be stalked, it was nothing. Besides, Darius and I have been through this. It’s not me you’re worried about; it’s my worth as an asset. The whole ‘I’m priceless though not actually priceless’ situation. Because since when do vampires care if a human dies?”
“Since you,” Darius said softly.
“This is not good,” Callie murmured.
“You guys, it’s nothing. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.” I rubbed my eyes. I sure hoped he didn’t know what he was saying. The whole thing sounded nuts, because vampires, especially elders, did not behave like Darius. They just didn’t. End of story. There had to be an ulterior motive.
Which probably circled right back to my status as an asset.
Didn’t it?
I took a deep breath. At least Darius wasn’t trying to prevent me from going to Seattle. That tiny distinction was enough to abate my anger. For now.