Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series)

by Camilla Chafer

  "For hours?"

  "Hours and all the way across the country too."

  "Witchy business?"

  "Yep, but I can't tell you."

  Gage's lip twitched, giving me the smallest glimpse of his annoyance. "Why not?"

  "I'm still not entirely sure what I was doing. Whatever it was, it was secret."

  "I hate secrets. Sure you can't tell me?"

  I lifted a shoulder in an apologetic shrug. "Sorry."

  "Never mind. It's not like I tell you everything either."

  I feigned mock shock as I let my mouth drop open. "No shi... way," I corrected myself, remembering there was a baby present, even if she was unlikely to repeat any curse words. Still, striving for a clean mouth around children was probably a good thing to start earlier rather than later. And if there were any accidental slip-ups, I figured I would blame them on her Uncle Gage. "I could do with a ride home though," I added. After a day of sucking up my energy to travel thousands of miles, not to mention, drawing on Astra's power to boost my own, I was thoroughly drained. Using the last little beat of power I had to get to Oak Street in time, I knew that I could probably have driven there, but would have been unable to find a place to park.

  After seeing the street outside packed with vehicles, and the spilling crowd within the small house, I knew my decision was right. Searching for a parking space would mean missing the most important event of my social calendar. As it was, with my power depleted, there was no way I could shimmer home; and walking didn't sound like a lot of fun either, never mind the added safety issues.

  I may not have been one hundred percent certain of what I delivered to Evan today, but I knew enough from Étoile to feel I should have been on alert. Whatever the package contained, Étoile was sure other people wanted it. So if anyone figured out that I participated in its transport, I could become a target. Not only that, but I still had the heebie-jeebies about finding the dead werewolf on my porch. No, a ride with Gage was the most sensible decision; and a little, whiny part of me really hoped he would say yes, thereby saving me from a long walk in heels or begging another guest to take me home, which would have been out of anyone else’s way. Perhaps I was being presumptuous? I didn't know how the naming ceremony would work out. What if Gage decided to go wolf and preferred to spend some time doing the nature thing in the woods rather than taking me home?

  "No problem," Gage said, barely skipping a beat, his attention diverting to his sister's family. "Tonight will be an early one anyway."

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Problem solved. "Not like the wedding, huh?"

  Gage grinned. "Oh, boy. Not like that at all. Now, if you'll excuse me. I gotta do the packmaster duty and welcome the new cub to the pack."

  The ceremony took little more than an hour. Gage gave a traditional speech, welcoming the new addition, before Beau took over and kindly asked Gage and me to be the baby’s guardians, which both surprised and delighted me. The baby lay cradled peacefully in Annalise's arms the whole time. When her name was eventually announced, we all applauded: Selene. Finally, we all trooped past, greeting the baby traditionally, i.e., placing two fingertips to the mouth before passing them to her forehead. To me, it felt like a kiss, and was entirely appropriate, so I simply copied everyone else when I was asked to join in. When the last pack member finished greeting her, a cork popped and glass after glass of champagne was passed around, the celebratory spirit now high in the air.

  "She's so tiny," I whispered, stroking her fine wisps of hair as Annalise passed her to me. Nestled in my arms, she wriggled and stretched before nuzzling against me. "I'll be a good guardian to her, I promise."

  "Can you imagine being responsible for a little cub like this one day?" asked Annalise.

  "No."

  "Me neither, yet here she is. Who would have thought it, huh?"

  "She's perfect. I'm really happy for you." I gave little Selene one last kiss to the forehead and returned her to her mother. My arms felt empty without her little, warm body nestled in the pink blanket. "I'll never let her down," I promised.

  "That's exactly why I picked you to be her guardian. Of all the creatures I know, you and Gage have firsthand experience of what it's like to be alone. And I trust you'll never leave my daughter that way."

  "You can count on us," said Gage, slinging one arm around me and passing me a glass. He gave me a squeeze that felt a little like being crushed by a bear. "I'm going to spoil my niece."

  "Not too much," Annalise grinned, turning to greet someone as she passed. "I have to circulate, but let's catch up soon. I can't believe I cut your vacation short! And then your welcomed home by the dead wolf. You need a real Wilding welcome. I'm so sorry I couldn't come out there to help."

  "We had everything covered, sis." Gage leaned down to murmur in my ear as Annalise turned away to the next person to exclaim over the baby, "We need to talk."

  "Sounds ominous." I looked around at the happy party. Everyone seemed in good spirits and I was almost pleased that we had such a festive event to focus on, rather than the dead werewolf. Plus, I noticed, Kitty was there, talking to Ryan, the guy she dated a while back. It looked like they were flirting. A big part of me wanted to brush every worry to one side and enjoy the party, but Gage sounded tense. "Now?"

  "It's as good as any other time," Gage answered, releasing my shoulders and grabbing my hand instead. He led me through the crowd, out the French doors and onto the patio, closing them beside us. "It's about the dead wolf," he began.

  "Did you discover something?" I asked, my interest piquing right away.

  "One of the pack finally found someone who could identify him. His name is Kevin Wyatt," Gage told me. "And I was right… he wasn't from around here."

  "So where was he from?" I asked, feeling just as perplexed as I was when I found him on my porch, "and how did he end up here?"

  "That's the thing. I don't know how he got here yet. Just who he was and where he's from."

  I raised my eyebrows to prompt him for more information.

  "Canada," Gage said. "Some little out-of-the-way town called Rockford."

  "Canada? So, he caught a plane? Or did he drive here?" Even as I asked the questions, I felt sure he traveled by neither method. For one, there were no reports of abandoned cars around here, and Wilding was a tightly-knit community. An unfamiliar car that appeared abandoned certainly would have been noticed and reported. "Yeah, okay. Stupid questions. So, he... hiked? Went furry and ran?" I hazarded a guess. "Is that even possible?"

  "He could have. It's not unknown, especially if he went furry, but I don't think so somehow. His clothes fit him well and he still had his wallet, even if there was no identification. Plus, it's kind of awkward to carry that stuff as our wolf-selves. No, I think he came here some other way." Gage gave me a pointed look as slowly, it began to dawn on me.

  "You think he got magicked here?" I asked, my scepticism leaking out.

  "Fastest way to travel, right?" Gage didn't need my confirmation; he knew that for sure. The first time I saw him as a wolf, I shimmered myself the hell out of there, not knowing for certain it was he; and fast as he was, he still couldn't beat me home. Of course, he managed to surprise me anyway, being quite adept at not revealing his true two-natured form in the early days of our friendship.

  "Sure, but a wolf can't do that. Even if he knew some spellcraft, I don't think he could create that kind of magic himself; and surely not without a..."

  "Maybe he had some kind of talisman, like the one I have? The one with witch magic," Gage cut in. It was the first time Gage had mentioned the talisman since I handed it to him. Legend claimed the talisman was imbued with magic by a witch who was in love with a wolf. It was designed to protect the wolf clan against witches when they needed it, dating back to the old days when they warred frequently with each other. When I found the talisman, we had valid concerns that Noah Wilde, the wolves' packmaster, intended to use it as a weapon. As far as I knew, after I gave it to Gage for safekeeping –
mostly because the damned thing's magic gave me a headache - he hid it and no one knew where. Certainly not Noah. Definitely not I.

  "I guess. I've never heard of a device that could be used to transport someone; and I've been reading a lot of the Council archives as I encounter them. I think if he got here by magic, it's more likely that a witch spelled him. That can definitely be done."

  "So, he's working with witches?" Gage gave a shake of his head. I got the impression that he was not only as bemused as I about the mysterious appearance of the man, but also not convinced the wolf was working in conjunction with a witch.

  "It's not exactly unheard of," I pointed out. The irony that a witch and a werewolf were discussing this didn’t escape me. "The legends insist that our two races worked together hundreds of years ago. Plus, hello… The two of us." I waved a hand from him to me.

  "Yeah, okay. I'm just a little puzzled how he ended up dead. There's nothing visible on his body that suggests an attack. He wasn't shot, strangled, assaulted, or beaten. It's almost like one minute he was alive, the next he wasn’t. We thought asphyxiation, but there's no evidence of how. There's no strangulation marks or bruising to his face."

  "Poison?"

  "Maybe. There's another possibility, of course..." Gage trailed off with a pointed look.

  I didn't need to say it, but I did anyway and the word came with a sigh. "Magic." The same idea had occurred to me, but I didn’t enjoy being the one to say it. After all, I once killed someone by magic, although it was self-defence. I tried to not beat myself up about it. Eleanor Bartholomew was a steamroller in my life: crushing her enemies as per her whims. If I had to choose between me or her, I'd pick me in any scenario. But I couldn't focus on the past, I had to think back to the moment I realised the werewolf was dead. "I didn't feel any magic on him, but he was cold. He could have been there an hour or two before I found him." Frowning, I tried to think it through sensibly, but I kept stumbling onto one snag that I just couldn't work out. "Say a witch did transport him by a spell. Why go to all the effort to do that? I mean, that's powerful magic to send someone such a distance, if he were being sent south from Canada, and for what purpose? That scrap of paper with my name on it must have been some kind of message. Someone thought I should have it. So why did a witch leave him dead on my doorstep and steal the message? It doesn't make sense, Gage. None of this does."

  "Maybe he thought he was delivering a message, but the real message was his corpse?" Gage suggested, although he didn't look convinced.

  "So why carry the letter? No, I think it's more likely someone wanted whatever he was delivering..."

  "Or just didn't want you to have it," Gage interrupted and I nodded. "Maybe we're looking at this wrong. Maybe a witch magicked him to you, so you got that message; but someone else knew about the plan and intervened, killing him and stealing it?"

  "He protected the letter with his life. Could it have been that important?"

  Gage was quiet for a long moment, his face growing ever more worried. Finally, he said, "Yes, it could. Look at the position you're in, Stella. You're the linch pin to the High Council."

  I blinked. "Say what?" I asked, but I didn't need to. Étoile and Kitty had already made similar remarks. Hearing them from Gage, however, was worrying. If my closest friends and allies made that connection, who else might think the same thing? And what did that mean for me? Right now, I had more questions than answers.

  "Think about it," said Gage, "Étoile is your best friend and she's the head of the Witch Council. Your ex-boyfriend is second-in-line to Hunter, who leads the demons. And I'm climbing through the ranks of the wolves. It's common knowledge Noah Wilde and I have had our differences, and don’t’ forget, he was reprimanded for his actions at Étoile's inauguration. You're connected to supernaturals in powerful positions. You can get to any one of us, whereas an ordinary witch or werewolf can't. You would be able to pass on a message."

  "Étoile said the same thing. Surely, I can't be the only one connected to all three of you." I shook my head in disbelief.

  "I sure can't think of anyone else. This has to be something that connects all of us."

  "And the Council?" I mused. "The High Council is at its final stages? What the hell was that message?"

  "I think I need to head up to Canada and find this wolf's pack. Maybe they have some ideas about what kind of message could be so important that someone killed him to stop him from delivering it. Maybe they can lead us to whoever gave him the message, maybe the same person who killed him."

  "Count me in," I said, wondering why the thought of Canada suddenly had me on edge.

  "No, Stella, this could be dangerous. I don't know what I'll be walking into up there."

  "I'm coming," I insisted. "Whatever is going on, I'm in the middle of it. Sooner or later, someone might come looking for me. Maybe it's whoever magicked this Wyatt guy, maybe it'll be whoever... or whatever killed him. I want to find them first."

  Gage glanced over his shoulder. "Kitty's waving at us. Let's meet tomorrow and discuss this further."

  "There's nothing to talk about. I'm coming," I insisted, returning Kitty's wave as I walked around Gage to the door. With one hand on the handle, I turned back to him. "I'd better go talk to her before she starts asking what we're doing out here. Don't forget — you're my ride home. I cannot shimmer at all. I'm worn out."

  "I can see there's no point trying to talk you out of it. Maybe on this trip, you'll tell me what errands Étoile has got you running."

  "One mystery at a time," I said, wondering just what I was in the middle of. Someone’s plans involved me, and I needed to know what they were. How could I defend myself if I were outmaneuvered? Plus, what if the message meant something vitally important to one of the factions I was connected to? Clearly, the message wasn't supposed to arrive via conventional means; and since it was important enough to kill for only intrigued me further. But for now, I had one night where I didn't have to think about a thing; and I was ready to relax. "We should enjoy this."

  "Never heard better words," Gage agreed, following me inside, and waving as someone called to him. "Who knows when we'll get another carefree night?"

  I sought Kitty out, finding her in the nursery with Annalise, who was settling baby Selene in her crib. Annalise held one finger to her lips, then beckoned for us to follow her, leading us into her bedroom. "So many people turned out, I thought my house might burst," she said with a smile. "Now where is my hug, Stella? Gage told me you waited at the hospital with him."

  "I did."

  "And you shimmered back from thousands of miles? You never said! We haven't had a chance to catch up at all!"

  "I took the plane," said Kitty. "But I did make the sun shine."

  "I'm just glad you both got here. I have the best friends," Annalise gushed, enveloping me in a hug, then Kitty. "I want to know everything. What's going on with you both?" Kitty and I exchanged glances. Where should we start? The past couple of days were hectic. "Okay, I know that kind of look. What's up? Tell me."

  "You just had a baby," said Kitty, dropping onto the chair in the corner of the bedroom while Annalise and I perched on the bed.

  "So that's my news covered. I could tell you about the swollen ankles and the water retention but... all the more reason to distract me, right? What's happening in the big city? What? What did I say now?"

  "The High Council is ready to be sworn in," said Kitty, "and Étoile is freaking out."

  "I saw Evan," I added casually.

  Kitty squealed and Annalise's mouth dropped open. "Okay, wait, what? You saw Evan? What did he say?"

  "Nothing."

  "Nothing?"

  "He just looked at me and then walked away; and when I saw him at his house..." I paused, realising my mistake. No one was supposed to know I'd been there.

  Annalise leaned forwards, "When were you at his house?"

  "Earlier today."

  "What happened?" they both asked.

  "Nothing. He asked
me a couple questions, told me he knew about the dead werewolf, then some black-haired, glammed-up, demon woman turned up and threw herself at him right before I left."

  "Start again. From the beginning, and don't leave anything out," said Annalise. So, I did just that except I skipped over the part about Étoile's package, and how Astra and I made sure we weren't followed. I stuck solely to the bare bones of the meeting, making up a simple ruse for why I'd gone there. I hated to lie; but it was essential that neither of my friends knew anything. Étoile was very specific about the importance of secrecy in my mission. Now, as I thought about it, perhaps it made sense to tell my friends about seeing Evan; should anyone mention it, they would repeat my version of the story. Obviously, the fake explanation took a whole two minutes as my friends both stared open-mouthed at me.

  "I hate to say it, but I heard something about this female," said Kitty, pulling a face. "I think she's some sort of high-level demon and..." She stopped, cringing.

  "And what?" I asked, trying to keep it casual. After all, why should I care whose company Evan chose to keep? It wasn't like he kept in contact with me. In fact, he'd done exactly the opposite of what I thought he would do. When I left him, and removed his race's ability to blackmail him with me, I thought he'd leave them and return to his life. Maybe even mourn our relationship. Instead, he stuck by Hunter and caressed the hips of a demon female right in front of me! I was a bubbling pot of fury.

  "I think... maybe... so, this woman... Don't look at me like that! Okay, I think she's his ex." Kitty cringed.

  "His ex?" I said very slowly, my insides cooling rapidly as surprise overtook me.

  "His not very ex, ex, if you get what I mean. I've seen her at The Amethyst. She's stunning. Annalise, her hair is like silk and she's... oh, sorry..." Kitty stopped when I cast a thunderous look at her.