Just like always, the Oracle’s crystal blue eye fixed on him and probed. He fought the instinct to squirm as she shuffled through his thoughts. He detested the blatant invasion, but wherever the Grandmaster was, the Oracle wasn’t far behind. His personal pet. She never spoke, except to the Grandmaster, and then usually only in his head. The rumor was that he’d taken her tongue when he’d taken her other eye. Apparently, she found nothing of interest in Carl’s brain, and he let out a deep breath as her magic released him.
The Grandmaster was talking quietly into his cell phone, his body hidden by the high back of his chair. It spun slowly to reveal a man apparently in his early forties, though he was ten times that old. His eyes—the only trait that showed his age—were hooded by his dark brows and the shadows in the dim room. Flashing his ornate gold cufflinks, he gestured for Carl to take one of the seats on the opposite side of the palatial desk.
Carl sat, nervously tugging at his Armani knock-off. He resisted the urge to drum his fingers as the Grandmaster finished his conversation.
The Oracle continued to stare.
“There’s no reason to assume the permit will not be approved in time. I assure you, I will do everything in my power to make sure we break ground on schedule. Why don’t you let me handle the details about that? The less you know, the better. No problem. That is what I’m here for. Very good.” He chuckled. “My pleasure, Governor.”
He clicked the phone off and set it gently on the desk, letting the artificial joviality seep away. His smile was anything but welcoming. Carl suppressed a shiver. He always thought it looked as though the Grandmaster was sucking on something sour when he tried to smile. Perhaps he’d grown so old, his face had forgotten how to form the expression.
“You brought me the wrong girl.”
Carl gaped at him, dumbstruck. Of all the possible reasons for a summons, this had not entered his mind. He’d never failed an assignment. The knowledge of what happened to those who did was enough to ensure that. The shadows of the room seemed to close in on him as he willed his heartbeat to stay steady and even. “I don’t understand. The girl I brought is a strong telepath—”
The Grandmaster waved away his excuse and leaned back in his leather chair, crossing one leg. “She is, and I will not rescind your payment for her, but she is not the one we were looking for. She’s not marked, and she is still too fragile to survive the marking ceremony, much less serve as a vessel.”
“But hers was the only magic signature at the hospital.”
“And that is problematic. We need the marked one we detected. She could not have gone far. You will find her for us.”
He glanced at the stoic woman behind the Grandmaster. “Perhaps the Oracle—”
The Grandmaster flicked his hand, dismissing the thought before Carl could complete it. “The Oracle is of no further service in this matter. Besides, when we are not making quota, we cannot afford to be so generous with our supply.”
Carl swallowed his retort. Generous was hardly a word he would use to describe the Grandmaster or the other high-ranking members of the brotherhood. “Will I have any magic to assist me?”
“Minimal. We have several other leads, but until a few more working vessels are secured, magic will be strictly rationed.”
He gritted his teeth. “At least a shield spell, and possibly a locator spell?” He could do the rest of the dirty work himself, though it would get harder as the days passed and his age weighed on him more. But he would get through—he always did.
After a long stare that had the hair on his forearms standing on end, the Grandmaster slowly slid open a drawer in his desk and entered a code into a hidden keypad. A secret compartment released from the wall behind him. He drifted from his chair with the ease of a young man who felt no aches or pains in doing so, and hatred gnawed a burning hole in Carl’s gut as the Grandmaster removed one of the many jewelry cases from his safe. He set the case on the desk and opened it. Inside the expensive black leather was a blood-red velvet display lovingly hugging at least two dozen rings of various sizes. They all hummed with magic, and what remained from Carl’s last feeding, infused in his very cells, was starving for it.
He gripped the chair arms and pretended the bounty before him had no effect.
The Grandmaster carefully selected three rings and set them on the desk before him: a hematite shield spell, a calcite locator spell, and a garnet revitalizing spell.
Carl made no move to take them, knowing that these were coming from the Grandmaster’s personal stock and must come at a greater cost than usual. “You have been one of my most effective agents. I trust that you will not let me down. Should you return with the vessel, you will be rewarded handsomely.” He nodded at the rings, and only then did Carl lean forward and pick them up one at a time and place them in his pocket.
He stood, bowed to the Grandmaster, and turned his back to walk out the front entrance.
“Carl.”
He paused with his hand on the door. “I don’t think I need to tell you what will happen if you return without her. You know the consequences for those who fail me. It would probably be better not to come back at all.”
He clenched and unclenched his jaw and opened the door. “Yes, sir. I understand.”
It was better to die relatively quickly from the effects of the elixir poisoning his blood than to return and have every last ounce of magic sucked from his soul a drop at a time.
Chapter Twelve
Audrey bunked down on one of the couches in the training room—it was the only place on the grounds besides Corvin’s tower where she felt safe. At least here she could use her powers to protect herself if needed. But being outside of the tower, she felt exposed and on edge. She’d sensed a few of the Hohlwen watching her from the rafters at various times during the night, keeping her from fully relaxing, and she kept replaying her conversation with Corvin over and over, wondering how it could have gone differently. To keep her brain occupied, she was contemplating all the ways she was going to live it up when she got out of here.
She’d won a fortune in just a few dice rolls. She could buy a house! No, not a house. Who wanted to settle in one place? A yacht. She could sail the globe. Stay in hotels whenever she needed a break. But if she had a big enough yacht, she would never need a break.
This hijacking had turned out to be the luckiest thing that had ever happened to her. Not only was she leaving with better control of her magic, but she was rich. Now she just had to get out and go kick some orderly ass and spring the kid out of Parkview.
She dedicated at least an hour to imagining the best treatment for Dr. Banner when she made her epic rescue. Suspending him upside down with his face two inches from a fireball? Or bound and gagged with a magical straightjacket as needles poked at him from all sides?
Thoughts of revenge were entertaining, but after the initial thrill of her winnings had faded, she’d been left with the fact that she still hadn’t figured out how to get her powers back permanently. She would trade all the diamonds back for them if she could. Anything to avoid using what was pretty obviously the only ace left up her sleeve: Corvin wanted her.
I would want more than just your body, Audrey.
Just replaying those words in her head made her tremble with a mixture of excitement and dread. She tossed on the couch, running through scenarios of how tomorrow’s “lesson” would go down, and for some reason she couldn’t get the vision of him bending her over his lap and giving her a solid spanking out of her head. She had acted like a child. She’d run away because she couldn’t face what was—and never could be—between them. But she’d stayed away to punish him. To push his buttons.
He probably knew that, just like he had an irritating way of knowing everything else she was feeling. Yet, he was giving her a chance to begin again. Every time she thought she could just write him off and close her heart to him, he did something…generous. Like he genuinely cared. Like she mattered. But what if she was just fooling herself into t
hinking that?
What would Jack say?
She laughed to herself. “Take the money and run.”
Her neck prickled in that familiar way that said a Hohlwen was close. With a simple thought, she cloaked herself and summoned an energy ball to one hand.
“That won’t work on me, you know,” said a sly voice from the darkest corner of the room.
She squinted into the shadows and thought she could make out a slightly darker silhouette. “But the guards will come if I use it.”
The shadow stepped forward into a beam of moonlight streaming in through the domed glass ceiling. She recognized the cold, pale face staring at her through the gloom immediately, though she hadn’t seen him since her first day at the Arcanum, when Corvin had kicked his ass.
“You’re quick to put your faith in them.”
“None of the wolves have rubbed me the wrong way. I even like one or two of them.” She dropped the cloak but still held the energy ball. The warmth in her palm was soothing.
He tsked and took a step closer, though the movement was so smooth, it was more like he floated. “We did get off on the wrong foot, didn’t we?”
She sat up straighter. “You could say that. I see you got your teeth back.”
“And you were not permanently harmed.” He glided closer still. Close enough that she could see the tiny stars winking in the black of his eyes. “You did put up an impressive fight for one so small.”
She scoffed and shifted her feet to the floor—it had still hurt like hell. “Plenty more where that came from.”
He slid over the end of the couch and relaxed into the cushions. “False bravado is one of the more amusing human emotions. What purpose does it serve? Is it just a bluff, or does it actually give you courage?”
She reabsorbed the energy ball and sighed. The muscles in her shoulders bunched. She should just give up the ghost—she wasn’t getting any sleep tonight. It wasn’t a big deal. In fact, she shouldn’t let the posh surroundings make her too complacent. “What do you want, leach?”
The smile that had played around his sensual mouth took a hard downward turn. “I would be careful about using that term, Audrey.”
She’d heard the term from some of the other novices. It made sense, since the Hohlwen siphoned their energy from others to survive, but she hadn’t known he would take it as an insult. “What should I call you, then?”
He smiled again. “We do not offer our names freely.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you just bored, or did you want something?”
“You have only one thing I want.”
She tucked her pouch deeper into the cushions. “I won them fair and square.” He couldn’t hurt her if she wasn’t breaking any rules—but was there anything to stop him from stealing from her? She wished she had gone back to the tower.
His smile flashed a brilliant white in the dark, reminding her of the Cheshire cat. “Do you have any idea of their worth?”
Yeah—enough to start a whole new life. “What good are they to you, anyway? It’s not like you need to buy food or pay rent.”
“Mortal currency is of no consequence. What’s of value to us is the energy stored inside.”
She scowled, trying to hide her confusion.
“Surely you’ve learned how crystals can harness and focus magic?”
She shrugged. She hadn’t shown up for any spelling classes. Corvin and the others needed spells, but her Ward abilities were more than enough to meet her needs, especially now.
“You’re hoarding a veritable trove of magical energy behind those cushions. As we are forbidden from draining witches without the explicit permission of the Synod, diamonds allow us to travel from the source of the Arcanum for more extended periods of time.” He stood and began pacing in front of her, occasionally blending into the shadows to reappear a second later in another place. She realized he wasn’t wearing any diamonds. “You must have lost big, huh?”
No answer.
So, she’d basically tethered him—and however many others that lost all their rocks—to this place. They were stuck, the same as she was. She couldn’t muster an ounce of sympathy. “Serves you right for betting against me.”
“I’ll be more careful next time.”
“Are you asking for a rematch?”
A pool of shadow poured over the back of the sofa, and then he was kicking back next to her again. “Are you offering one?”
A tingle of alarm zinged down her spine, and she swallowed hard. “I don’t have any dice.”
“A different wager, then.” His chiseled features gave nothing away. He was the picture of indifference.
“Okay. One diamond for three answers. Truthful answers—no evasions.”
One side of his mouth curled, and the tiny sparkles in his eyes danced like a million galaxies forming and winking out. “How will you determine if I’m telling the truth?”
“If I’m not satisfied with your answers, no deal.”
“That’s not really a wager.”
“It’s a gamble for both of us.”
He spread his arms out along the back of the couch. “One diamond for one answer.”
“Two.”
He froze for the span of several breaths, and yet his chest didn’t move. “Very well, ask your questions.”
The first one was obvious—he’d already given her a hint. “Is there any way for me to use the magic that’s stored in the diamonds?”
His eyes fixed on her, and all the glints of light spiraled away until she was staring into an abyss so complete, it made her dizzy. “No.”
“Care to elaborate on that?”
“Is that your second question?”
She narrowed her eyes. “No.”
“You did not specify an answer length, but I’ll humor you. Only my kind possess the ability to siphon magical energy into or out of a diamond. Their properties are unique. Satisfied?”
She pulled the pouch into her lap and tapped her fingers on it, staring across the room.
“Next question.”
“I’m thinking.”
He pretended to pick a piece of nonexistent lint from his shoulder. “Dawn draws near.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “So?”
“I haven’t fed yet this night. Since you have all my diamonds, I must do so before my next assignment.”
Interesting.
Except the feeding part. She hadn’t known their power was limited or what it had to do with the sun. She’d seen them in the daylight, but they were made of darkness, so maybe it cost them something.
Maybe you should have attended a few classes.
“Second question: do you know how I can get out of here with my powers and memory intact, without the Synod’s permission?”
He leaned forward, close enough that she should have felt his breath, but instead there was only an eerie cold that pebbled the skin on her forearms and neck.
“Yes.”
She let out the breath she’d been holding and reached inside her pouch to remove one diamond. As she held it up in the moonlight, an unnatural sparkle shone from it, as if the noonday sun were refracted in a rainbow of colors. She dropped it into his waiting palm.
He fixed it to his ear and it stayed there, partially absorbed by his skin. As he got up from the couch, she dipped into the pouch again, feeling for the largest stone she could find, then held it up to the moonlight.
He paused, unnaturally still as he studied her with those chilling, empty eyes.
“It’s yours if you tell me how.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Give it to me first, and I will tell you what I can.”
She hesitated long enough that he began to melt into the darkness behind him.
“Wait!” She leapt from her seat and nearly bumped into his chest when he resolidified. She held out the diamond.
He plucked it from her fingers, then stepped back and disappeared into the shadows.
“Motherfu—”
“Your mag
ic works in this room, does it not?”
She bit off the curse and cleared her throat. “Yeah, but nowhere else.” She’d checked the entire perimeter of the fortress.
“Which means there is a force of magic here that cancels the binding spell.”
It felt awkward having a conversation with thin air, but she answered. “Okay. And…?”
“Which do you think is more likely? That the council has cast an individual spell and counter-spell for every novice to null their magic, or one spell for all?”
Realization pulsed through her body, making her heartbeat jump ahead. She didn’t answer—her wheels were already turning. Why hadn’t she seen it before? If the entire grounds were doused in anti-novice magic, but she could use her powers here, that meant the binding wasn’t attached directly to her, it was about location. There was no way they could cast a spell to cover the whole world, so the magic blocking her powers had a boundary, like a Wi-Fi signal.
And now you have the means to get far, far away from here.
She held the pouch of diamonds to her chest. “How far do I have to get to be free of it?”
A soft chuckle stirred the hair at her nape, sending a shiver down her spine.
“A courageous and clever little witch. We will speak again, Audrey.”
She didn’t hear or see him leave, but when she sensed she was alone, she collapsed onto the couch. The first light of dawn was creeping in through the stained-glass windows of the practice chamber, painting the far wall in a swath of diluted color. The smell of fresh bread drifted in from the front hall.
Her stomach rumbled. When was the last time she’d eaten? Oh, right—breakfast yesterday. Before she caught her mentor naked in the shower calling her name as he…
No, don’t think about that.
Before she’d gotten a hall pass, finally. Done recon. Found herself surrounded by immortal shadow guards and baited them into a dice battle. And before she’d won a few million dollars in precious gems.
She was absolutely starving.
To Tame A Wild Heart: A Zyne Witch Urban Fantasy Romance (Zyne Legacy Romance Book 1) Page 11