When we reached the apartment block, Link flew upward into the open window, insisting that he meet me up there and leaving me to walk up each floor alone. I did so in an exhausted daze, strolling lifelessly up the stairs. There was nothing I wanted more than to climb into bed and relax, then take a day or two to let my bruises heal.
I reached the correct floor, and as I dug into my pocket to find my keys, I heard a soft, soothing voice say my name from across the hall. It was a familiar voice – one that I welcomed warmly. As I looked up to see the speaker, my heart almost stopped.
“Jason,” I said, shocked.
“Ah, I wondered when you’d show up.”
Adrenaline shot through me. My tired eyes snapped wide open, my heart working overtime inside my chest. Whatever the reason for his visit, he looked dashing in his white, button-down shirt, a brown corduroy jacket over his arms. I guessed he’d upgraded from using my old coat.
“What are you doing… I mean, hi.”
Jason stepped forward, taking me into his arms and kissing me softly on the lips. The hairs raised on the nape of my neck, standing on end and shooting shivers through my skin as his lips touched mine. I gave into him, leaning my body into his and kissing him back. His touch was soft, his tongue warm and wet.
I pulled away urgently.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Yes.” I hated this. All I wanted was to be with him. Was that too much to ask? “You know this is forbidden. A werewolf and a mage… If your alpha finds out, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble. We’re going around in circles. I hate it, but…” I took a deep breath, steadied myself. “But this can’t happen.”
Jason’s eyes lowered to the ground as he scratched the back of his neck. “You’re right. Well then, I guess it’s lucky that I’m leaving the pack.”
“… What?”
“That’s right.”
“But… you can’t! I told you before, I don’t want you to leave your family, and I definitely don’t want it on my conscience. You have to stay with them.” I couldn’t bear the thought that I would take him away from the life he knew. “You just have to.”
Jason looked down to me then, smiling as his perfect brown eyes met mine. He closed the gap again, taking me into his arms and holding me close, looking at me with a look you can only get from someone who loves you. “It’s already done.”
“You…” I could have sworn a smile crept into the corners of my mouth, tugging my lips upward. I tried to hide it, in case I had the wrong end of the stick, in case I woke up from this dream and found myself cold in my bed. “You’ve left already?”
“I didn’t want you to make the choice, so I made it for you. And if this doesn’t work – if you and me don’t work – then at least you can’t blame yourself for it. This is my choice now, and there’s not a goddamn thing you can do about it.”
I couldn’t help it – my huge smile burst through as I nuzzled my face into his warm chest. I could hear his heart, pounding wildly against my ear. Finally, I could live my life at his side, fighting with him and knowing that he would be there for me, always. It would be the two of us, a solid, happy and unified couple.
Until the bitter end.
BROKEN MAGIC
THE CARDKEEPER CHRONICLES
A. C. NICHOLLS
CHAPTER ONE
The train shook violently as it rocketed over Jackson, Monroe and Washington, the passing streets briefly illuminating the darkness. My enemies were somewhere behind me, their exact location unknown. I could almost feel their heated breath grazing the back of my neck. I glanced up and down the car, finding it empty, and threw up a silent prayer of gratitude that none of Chicago’s citizens would get caught in the fight.
“Keira.”
I turned and shot a look up the length of the train, following the sound of my friend’s voice. When I spotted him – five inches tall and bearing a striking resemblance to Hugh Laurie – I jogged toward him while flashing looks back over my shoulder.
“Link,” I said, stretching out an arm and letting him crawl up my slender body to perch on my shoulder. I thought that I’d lost him in the battle with the creepers, but now I could breathe a sigh of relief. “Are you hurt?”
“Only on the inside.”
“And Jason?”
Link shrugged, his weary eyes blackening with fatigue.
“All right.” I ran to the nearest window and leaned over the seat, my eyes running security detail through the glass. I couldn’t see anything from here, but creepers were the masters of the shadows. Satisfied for the time being, I took a step back. “I want you to head up to the front two cars. If anyone is inside, you’re going to have to make them get off at the next stop.”
Fluttering his wings, Link took off from my shoulder and hovered in front of me. “Aren’t you forgetting something, love?” he said, pointing to his wings with a look that said: Have you lost your damn mind?
“Not forgetting. Just prioritizing.”
“You want them to see that faeries exist?”
“Right now I don’t care,” I told him, distracted. Knowing my luck, the creepers would burst through here any second, and I’d be unable to defend either one of us. “If you don’t clear the cars, there might not be anyone left to see.”
“But I–”
“Link!”
Wounded pride riding on the downward curves of his lips, Link turned and flew into the next car. He wasn’t used to being yelled at by a woman, much less one who was only thirty, nearly half his age. My berating probably caused a ding in his ego.
Link passed through the door and I heard the immediate shrieks of the other passengers as they witnessed a real faery for the first time in their lives. Through the glass, I could see Link flitting from seat to seat, encouraging them to stand as the train finally slowed to a stop at the Clinton platform. When they hurried off without looking back, the doors slid to a close and the train began to move again, slowly picking up speed as it continued on course.
Okay then, I thought, brushing my fingers against the magicard in my pocket. The card felt warm to the touch as the magic inside fed itself into my body. I immediately felt faster, stronger, more agile. It wasn’t exactly fire magic, but my newfound acrobatic powers seemed to work wonders against the creepers, and right now, that was all I cared about.
A sudden scream – deep and long – roared through the windows as they shattered. A werewolf fell in, his bulky body rolling to the side as he clutched his arm in pain. My eyes widened with recognition. Jason. I ran to him and knelt by his side, assessing the deep gash in his flesh. Blood oozed from the gaping wound, visible even beneath his dark brown fur. “Goddamn it. Are you okay?”
Jason’s muzzle shortened, his fur receding quickly as his body began to transform back to a human’s on command. His skin turned to its natural tan color, his hazel-colored eyes glistening as they gazed up into mine. “I’ll live.”
“Good.” I helped him to his feet, gripping his large arm tight as I raised him up. “The train’s clear. What’s the situation on the creepers?”
“Well, they’re here.”
“And?”
Jason nodded down at the deep scratch in his arm; three long, scarlet claw marks, identifiable as nothing other than a creeper’s handiwork. “They’re definitely strong.”
The lights began to flicker. The car made a creaking sound, shooting around a corner of the track like a bullet. A sound thumped above us, coming from the roof. We both hit the deck in response, staying low to the grungy metal floor of the car. Creepers were ugly and dangerous. Their long, yellow fangs kept their prey frozen with fear while their lightning speed took them down.
“How many did you see?” I whispered.
“Two, but I think there’s a third.”
“Any wounded?”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Only me.”
I glared at him with my most piercing stare, ready to tell him off for making light of a serious situation. Hadn�
�t his injury been enough to keep him on his toes around the wily bastards? He smirked and tipped his head to the side, clearly enjoying the heat of the battle.
The pounding stopped as the metal roof was torn asunder by a huge, writhing talon. The long blades of its nails missed my face by mere inches. I reared back, staring at the stained yellow claws littered with traces of red.
The razor-sharp points had missed their target, and retracted quickly with a snappish noise that sounded like the striking of two carving knives. Seconds later, it tried again, this time ripping a gaping hole in the side of the train. For all I knew, this could have been the same creeper, although I hoped not – that would only suggest it was faster than the others.
“Gotta stay low,” I said, turning to Jason and edging him along the car.
“No shit.”
The claws continued to pierce the train, missing my foot by half an inch, another grazing my cheek and leaving a fine trail of blood dripping down my face. Yet another came, splintering through the metal like it was made of butter, catching Jason’s arm and leaving a fresh slice across his skin.
We were fish in a barrel, insignificant prey for these huge, hideous monsters.
When we finally reached the door, Jason stopped beside it, one hand still wrapped around his bare arm. Blood oozed between his fingers as he squeezed, suppressing the bleed. He panted, gasping deep, heavy breaths. “How’s that magicard treating you?”
I felt the magic – the soul of the mage trapped within the card – course through me, lending me energy and strength. As an immortal, I possessed superhuman strength already, but this mage’s spell fortified it. “It’s coming along.”
“Can you get onto the roof?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.”
I punched the button and watched the door slide open. Giving it only a brief glance to analyze my surroundings, I leapt outside, pressing one foot against the wall of the other car, and then propelling myself onto the roof. The rain poured down in sheets, tearing at my face in thick torrents – April rain, soft and thin but made stronger by the wind and the speed of the train. I cupped my eyes with my hands and looked across the roof.
Nothing.
Had the creepers moved on? Had they moved to the belly of the train to adjust their attack strategy? The holes in the roof served as proof that they’d been here, but their presence could no longer be felt. It was pointless staying up here.
Just as I began to retreat, a screeching wail seared through the air. I spun toward the awful noise and a ghostly white image leapt out at me in a blur of lethal energy. It struck my chest, tumbling me back across the roof of the train. My ribs felt bruised and broken. I recovered in time to see a creeper lurking before me, its pale, thick skin stretched across the muscle of its twelve-foot body. The damn thing didn’t even have eyes – only nostrils on a flat face and pointed teeth teeth that matched its claws. Long, gangly arms swayed to and fro.
“There you are,” I mumbled, before dashing forward and attacking it with my fists clenched. I didn’t know if my tiny, pummeling human knuckles would hurt it, but it had to be a damn sight better than just turning tail and running away.
As I rushed it, the creeper swung its arm. I slid along the wet metal on my back, then leapt up at the last second and drove a punch into its chest. It wobbled, losing its balance but still swinging wildly at its surroundings. I stayed crouched, avoiding those deadly claws at all costs, and circled cautiously around my enemy.
It wasn’t enough.
From nowhere, a huge, thick claw wrapped around my ankle and pulled hard. I fell forward, my body dropping like a rock as I slammed my chin on the train’s roof. Before I could get a grip, it pulled me toward the end of the car, the wind howling at my face as I struggled for breath, kicking and trying desperately to wriggle free.
A mighty, bellowing roar tore through the air. I angled my head to look at the creature by my feet, and caught sight of Jason. He’d morphed back into werewolf form and sunk his own sharp claws into the enemy’s flesh, straddling it and applying pressure until it released its grip. Free at last, I climbed to my feet and glanced around for a third.
Nothing.
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. Good. Great, even. It meant I got to keep my attention on this other sucker. I ran back toward it, leaping over its head and landing behind it. As it took a moment to glance around in confusion, I threw a punch into its spine, then another. A third one crippled it, causing it to make that awful, ear-piercing screech. It turned, swung its claw, but I rolled quickly to one side and recovered my balance on the speeding train.
“Need any help?”
The voice came from behind me, but I could recognize it anywhere; strong, posh. British accent. I turned to Link, who floated unsteadily by my side, the wind assaulting his wings and compromising his balance.
“I’m fine. Go help Jason.”
“You’re sure?”
I nodded. “Go.”
Alone again, I turned my attention back to the creeper. I had to change my plan somehow. Punching it had only dazed it, and I had no useful weapon at hand. My resourcefulness, however, was sharper than ever, and as my eyes lowered to the claw on the creeper’s arm, I had a sudden idea. It was a stupid idea, but if it worked, I just might make it home in time for dinner.
“Hey, ugly,” I called.
The creeper turned my way, saliva dripping from its wide mouth.
“Are we going to fight or not?”
This time the creeper moved before it shrieked. Its lanky white body shot at me in a strange sideways motion, moving like an ape, only faster. Lighter. It took a swipe for my face, missing my cheek only by millimeters and losing its balance with the force of the swing.
I laughed, taunting it again and inviting it to take careless, angry attempts at killing me – at ending my life then and there. It tried repeatedly, but never connected. My magic intensified and so did my power. It attacked once more, and I dove away from its assault, landing on my back.
In my moment of vulnerability, the creeper took a running jump, leaping ten feet into the air before dropping quickly toward me, its claw extended like an enormous handful of daggers. With only a second left to spare, I rolled to my side, hearing the nails pierce the roof like a knife through a tin can. Without hesitation, I climbed to my feet while the creeper’s claw was trapped inside the metal. I tackled it. As fast as I could, I groped at its wrist and tore the soft tissue. The creeper howled in agony as I shoved it back, separating it from its deadly weapon, knowing its bones were barely tougher than its flesh.
While the creature fell to its back, grabbing at its wrist and writhing in pain, I pulled hard at the claw in the roof. It broke free, and I lunged at the creeper with incredible speed, driving its own claw into its chest. The body jerked violently, its scream reaching eardrum-shattering decibels, before it died, dissolving into white ash.
My own problem dealt with, I turned back to the far end of the car, where Jason was sinking his large werewolf teeth into the neck of the creeper while Link held it steady. The same screaming sound came from this one, its body turning an even brighter shade of white before it, too, scattered on the wind.
“Nicely done,” I yelled across the roof, a shiver of cold traveling up my spine as the wind howled and blanketed me in sheets of icy rain. I folded my arms and made my way back toward my friends as the train began to slow down. When it stopped entirely, I climbed down from the roof and helped Jason do the same. His arm was badly wounded, but I knew it wouldn’t take too long to heal – his kind and mine were the same in that way. We each had the healing factor.
“Keira,” Link said, lowering down to my side on beating wings.
“What?”
“There’s one more.”
I craned my neck, gazing up and down the long, dark platform until I spotted it; one man, tall and thin, but suspiciously inhuman. Something in his expression gave him away, as if he held in a great secret. His head shook quickly from s
ide to side, faster than a camera flash, the image of a creeper’s face revealing itself subtly between the flickers. “Is that the one?”
“I think so,” Link said.
“But he looks kinda human.”
“All the same, he came in with the creepers.”
“You’re certain?”
Link nodded.
I returned my gaze to the man, studying him and watching as he inspected his surroundings. When he finally spotted us, his eyes widened with fear and he began to power-walk in the opposite direction, shooting frequent looks over his shoulder.
“Wait here,” I told my friends, and jogged to catch up to the mysterious man, who was now taking to the steps and picking up speed. “Hey. Hey!”
The man kept moving. I hurried to catch up until I finally laid a hand on his shoulder. I spun him around only to find dark, hollowed eyes looking back at me. His mouth gaped open like he was trying not to smile, but it wasn’t that… Was this man a creeper disguised as a human? It couldn’t be… could it?
As the man turned his back on me, I grabbed for his clothes but got nothing other than the thick metal of his neck-chain. I gripped it tightly, fighting against his reluctant struggle until the clasp suddenly popped open and the chain fell into my hand. I could feel the great weight of the medallion hanging off the end, and as it stole my attention, I barely looked up in time to see the look of fear on the man’s face, before he sped down the remaining steps and vanished into the dark maze of Chicago.
Never mind, I thought, holding up something that felt far more important. I couldn’t identify it, but its beautifully carved edges and gold shine spoke to me, like a whisper that only the two of us could hear. It was stunning. It was magical. It was…
“You get him?”
I spun on my heel to find Jason, towering over Link at the top of the steps. His unbuttoned coat billowed out behind him, dancing in the wind like a flag around his hard, muscular torso as he fought to button it up.
The Cardkeeper Chronicles: Books 1-5 (Complete Collection) Page 28