Shadow Hunted: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Shadows of Salem Book 3)

by Jasmine Walt

  “No.” A lightbulb switched on in my hand. “So that’s why you were looking so pale!”

  “Aye,” Maddock said grimly. “The barrier they’ve set up affects any supernaturals who come close.”

  I frowned, glancing over at Darun. He was busy exploring the living room, nose to the ground, his tail wagging high in the air. “How come he wasn’t affected?”

  “I believe his wolf form protects him from the worst of it,” Maddock said. “He would feel it should he try to pass the barrier, but otherwise, he’ll remain unaffected. That is also why he got off so easily when we first arrived here,” Maddock added. “If he’d arrived in his natural form, his reaction would have been much worse.”

  I glared at Maddock, his words bringing back my anger about what happened. But there was no use in belaboring the point, so I returned to the subject at hand. “Okay, so if I’m not affected by the nausea, do you think that means I can pass through? Or do you think it just makes me like Darun, and I won’t feel the effects until we hit the barrier, because of my half-witch heritage?”

  “I dinnae ken,” Maddock said, eyes gleaming now, “but it is a very good sign that ye can approach so easily. And the fact that ye are half-witch probably helps. We’ll need to come back another time, preferably at night, so we can dispatch the warlocks and take a crack at that bloody barrier.”

  “That’s fine,” I said, glancing at the grandfather clock over in the corner, “but it’s barely lunchtime, so that’s not gonna be for a while. In the meantime, I need to figure out where I’m living and get myself some clothes. And I should probably go see that lawyer you mentioned.”

  Maddock snapped his fingers, and a small pile of clothing appeared on the coffee table. “I liberated those from your storage in anticipation of your return,” he said. “I’ll arrange for ye to go there, so ye can grab what ye need and bring it to ENVY. You’ll stay there until we can find ye a more permanent home.”

  I stared at him as if he’d grown a second head. “You want me to live in your club?”

  He shrugged. “I have a few bedrooms on the upper floor,” he said. “I’ll have a guard posted outside yer room to ensure yer safety, and so long as ye dinnae wander around unescorted, ye’ll be fine. Security has been tightened significantly—all witches have been barred from entry, and no Unseelie can get onto the premises anymore because of the barrier.”

  “I guess that’s true,” I grumbled. But I wanted a bit of normalcy in my life, and living in a fae club wasn’t going to come close to giving me that. Then again, it was only temporary—as soon as I could access that trust fund and deal with my warrant, I’d snag an apartment.

  But where? I wondered as I started to change my clothes. Maddock had left the room to give me some privacy, and Darun had gone outside to explore. The Salem PD chief had offered me a job, but I imagined it had been retracted because of the warrant for my arrest. If I was cleared, would she still want me on the force?

  More importantly, did I want to continue working for the Salem PD? It was clear that someone needed to be around to deal with the supernatural aspects of police work, but exonerating me of Randall’s murder wouldn’t erase the stain on my reputation. Salem was a small town, and once the rumors started, it was impossible to remove the residue they left behind.

  Lost in thought, bra dangling from a finger, I tried to imagine returning to Chicago. But I knew I’d never be able to return to my old way of life, not since I’d found out what was truly out there. Solving murder cases and staking vampires wouldn’t be enough. I wasn’t just Detective Brooke Chandler—I was Princess Riona Maoilriain of the Unseelie. Daughter of the Winter King. And before my death, I’d been on an important mission, one I hadn’t solved.

  If I wanted to have any semblance of a normal, or at least peaceful, life, I needed to finish what I’d started in my past life. If I didn’t, it would come back to haunt me time and again—I could feel it in my bones.

  “I just spoke to the solicitor,” Maddock said, and I spun around, bra in hand, to see him walking into the room. He froze, heat flaring in his eyes as he took in my bare torso for a split second. “Bloody hell, woman,” he growled, averting his eyes. “Is ten minutes not enough time?”

  “Sorry.” Hurriedly, I put the bra on, then shoved a sweater over my head. It was one of my favorites—a lavender cashmere that brought out the color of my eyes, and covered the pink flush that had spread over my entire body. God, why was he able to get me revved with just a single glance, especially after everything that had happened between us?

  “I was thinking,” I said a little defensively as I turned back to face him. “Besides, it’s a little ridiculous that you’re making me change in the living room. Don’t you have a guest room or something?”

  Maddock turned around, staring at me for a long moment. The heat that had flashed in those gorgeous eyes had vanished, replaced by something else—he looked like he was wrestling with something. I frowned.

  “It’s safer if ye simply stay in the living room,” he finally said. “And dinnae stand in the stream, under any circumstances. Ye wilna like the consequences,” he added in a dire voice.

  “You do know that your cryptic warnings are only going to make me want to do all these things even more,” I said dryly.

  “All the more reason to get ye out of my house,” Maddock grumbled. “As I was saying, the solicitor has an appointment available later this evening. I can bring ye into town so ye can go shopping and get whatever it is ye need, and then meet with the solicitor.”

  “Well, that’s very nice of you.” I blinked for a moment, unsure what to say next. It was almost as though Maddock was taking care of me, and I wasn’t used to having a man do that. Even Tom, whom I’d loved and been freaking engaged to, had been more than happy to leave any kind of scheduling or busy work to me. “You’re awfully thorough.”

  He shrugged. “The sooner we get yer affairs in order, the sooner we can get to tackling the real reason I brought ye back. Now let’s go.”

  Just a means to an end, I thought as I took his offered arm. But for once, the idea didn’t completely rankle me. After all, it was better that we treated each other as business partners. As long as he did so with the same respect he’d been giving me, I could live with whatever else he dished out.

  Chapter 17

  Maddock dropped me off right outside the Prudential Center, then zipped right back out after telling me he’d meet me for dinner at the restaurant on the 52nd floor at five o’clock.

  I shook my head a little as I turned away. But instead of heading into the Prudential Center, I headed to a gold shop just down the street to exchange my coins for cash. Since they weren’t earthly, I couldn’t go to a normal exchange store for these, but they had to be worth something. Maddock had offered me the use of one of his credit cards, but I’d declined—there was no need to rely on his money when I had my own.

  Sort of, I amended as I walked into the shop. It was my father’s money, and I did feel a little weird about using it. I wasn’t used to relying on other people for my finances. I’d never made a ton of cash, but I was good at saving it, and I’d never had to ask anyone for a loan. Not even Oscar.

  But then, this wasn’t really a loan. It was more like an inheritance. And considering the bucket load of trouble my heritage seemed to come with, I’d say I was entitled to it.

  “Good afternoon,” the balding man behind the counter said, his Bostonian accent thick yet somewhat refined. The place was small, but clean and well-appointed, and the store clerk wore a fine linen shirt, slacks, and tie. “How can I help you?”

  “I’ve got some old coins here I’d like to sell.” I plunked the leather bag on the counter, and it made a satisfying thud. “Think you can look at them and tell me what you might give me for them?”

  “Certainly.” The man tugged on the drawstring, then pulled out one of the coins. His eyes widened as he stared at the foreign runes on it, and for a moment, I worried about exchanging them
. What if I was accidentally exposing him to the supernatural community? Would there be trouble because of it?

  But I’d told Maddock what I was doing, and he hadn’t seemed concerned about it. Considering how long the fae had been around, humans had to have come across fae objects before, and yet, they were still largely ignorant about the Faerie realm and its inhabitants. Clearly Maddock wasn’t worried that a few gold coins would endanger anything.

  “Where did you say you got these again?” the man asked, studying the coin intently beneath a magnifying glass. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a coin like this before.”

  “Inheritance,” I said with a nonchalant shrug. “My late uncle was a collector.”

  “I’ll say.” He performed a couple of tests on the coin, then repeated the process with a few of the others. Finally, he stood back with a satisfied nod. “I am definitely interested in buying these.” He gave me a number that wasn’t quite as much as I thought they were worth, but more than I figured he’d offer, so I accepted. “I’ll just need to see your driver’s license so we can fill out the paperwork.”

  I froze, then reacted without thought. “You don’t need my driver’s license,” I said, my voice layered with magic. “I gave you the number already.”

  “Oh, yes, of course!” The man beamed, then leaned over the paperwork and scribbled in a number.

  I had no idea whose it was, and I felt a little guilty. But that was barely a passing thought—I was a little stunned at what I’d done. Had I just used my voice to Jedi mind trick this guy? Maddock had done the same thing on more than one occasion, and my past self must have been able to do it, too. It seemed like more abilities were popping up ever since I’d arrived in Faerie.

  I finished with the paperwork in no time, then walked out with the biggest wad of cash I’d ever held in my life. Knowing the pouch wasn’t the safest place for it, I grabbed a purse and matching wallet as my first purchases, then snagged a slice of pizza before indulging myself in my first shopping spree in over a year.

  Or maybe it had even been years, I realized as I sank my teeth into my slice of pizza. Pizza! Oh, that first gloriously cheesy bite was a little piece of heaven. When the hell was the last time I’d had pizza? Only a few months had passed in the human world, but I felt like I’d spent years on the Morrigan’s island, scrubbing floors in my miserable rags of clothing, not even cognizant that a better life was out there somewhere.

  Well, not anymore, I vowed, straightening my shoulders. I was back home now, and I wasn’t taking anything for granted. I knew I was about to get myself into a whole world of trouble again, but in the meantime, I was going to enjoy the hell out of this little slice of normality.

  I went to town on the various department stores inside the Prudential Center’s huge mall, buying up clothing, shoes, and underwear like they were going out of style. I wasn’t normally one for frivolous purchases, but that bag of gold had turned into so much cash that I’d barely made a dent in it. And there was still that trust fund.

  I sipped a sugary drink from Starbucks after sitting to take a break, my eyes wandering across the way to a salon. As I stared at a photo of a woman with luxurious, dyed-red hair, my fingers unconsciously touched my own locks. I was using a glamour to make them appear black, and to subtly change my eye and skin coloring so that nobody would recognize me. I’d tried dying the silvery strands when I was a teenager, but to the colorist’s amazement and frustration, it hadn’t worked. My hair had simply refused to accept any color, and she wasn’t able to strip the silver out of it, either.

  I should have known then that I wasn’t normal. But I’d simply chalked it up to some kind of weird genetic defect. Even so, the memory made me realize I probably shouldn’t go walking around with my silver hair if I was a wanted criminal. But using a glamour on myself all the time was draining, and it would be nice if there was a non-magical way to change my features a bit.

  With that in mind, I asked the barista where I might find the nearest wig shop. To my relief, there was one inside the building. Within ten minutes, I was walking out with a head full of shiny red curls that hung to my mid-back. They were a very dramatic contrast against my pale skin, but I figured it worked—there were lots of Irish redheads with pale skin. Maybe I could even try some freckles on for size.

  I bet Maddock would lose his mind if you walked in for dinner as a freckled redhead, I thought, snickering to myself.

  A Verizon store across the hall caught my eye. Crap. I needed to get myself a new phone. A new line, too, since the police likely had my old one tapped. Thirty minutes, and a little bit of magic on the contract later, I had both.

  Excited at the prospect of finally being connected to the world again, I found a relatively secluded bench to sit on, then punched in Oscar’s number. I waited with baited breath as the phone rang and rang, but unfortunately it rolled over to voice mail.

  “Hey,” I said after the automated message played, “It’s me. I dunno if my father told you yet, but I’m back in Massachusetts again. There’s a big problem here that Maddock and I are trying to handle, and I think you could help.” After all, he was a shadow, too. “Anyway, call me when you get this.”

  I hung up the phone, trying not to sound too disappointed. My father had said he’d sent Oscar off on a mission, so maybe he was somewhere in Faerie, where cell service didn’t reach. Checking my watch again, I noticed it was getting close to five o’clock.

  Crap. Better get upstairs for dinner.

  After ducking into a bathroom to freshen up, I got on the elevator and stepped off into the restaurant lobby, a mountain of bags in my arms. I’d swept my red hair into an elegant half-up, half-down style and changed into an emerald green A-line dress with long sleeves and stiletto heels beneath a fur-lined white winter coat, my favorites from my purchases, but there had been nowhere to stash my bags.

  Maddock wasn’t here yet, so I took a moment to look around. The little lobby’s black tiles sparkled beneath my heels, and deep purple wallpaper with a lacy black pattern on it lined the walls. Fresh flowers filled a vase on a silver table in the center, surrounded by leather furniture that looked pretty damn comfortable.

  Within moments, someone was at the front to greet me, and although I declined the offer to be seated, I did let them take my bags to stow in the back until I was ready to leave.

  The elevator doors opened, and I turned to see Maddock, dressed in one of his billion-dollar suits. This one was a smoky blue that fit his body like a glove, showing off his broad shoulders, lean waist, and muscular legs. I bet if he turned around, I’d get a great view of his ass, too.

  Jesus, Brooke, what the hell are you thinking?

  But it seemed like I wasn’t the only one ogling. Maddock had gone completely still, his eyes slowly drinking me in in a way that sent pleasant shivers up my spine. But he was only still for a moment—before I knew what was happening, he was across the room, lifting a lock of my new hair off my shoulder and rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger.

  “Red,” he murmured, his voice low and husky. “A good choice. Very different from the silver.”

  “That’s the idea.” I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry, and inhaled a lungful of Maddock’s darkly addictive scent. God, did he really have to be so close? He dropped my hair, his fingers brushing against my shoulder for the briefest of seconds, but that tiny bit of contact was enough to ignite a fire low in my belly. A flush quickly spread across my cheeks, and I turned toward the restaurant entrance, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “Mind if we get seated? I’m starving.”

  As Maddock went to talk to the maître de, I took a moment to compose myself, willing my cheeks to return to their normal pale color again. But it was hard to remain unaffected when I caught those glimpses of unabashed hunger in his eyes, especially when he came so close. The magnetism between us was undeniable—we’d both admitted it to each other in the past. Just as we’d both agreed we would never act on it.

  We were a partnership
of convenience. Nothing more.

  He’s sworn an oath on his magic to protect you, a voice in my head reminded me. That’s not nothing.

  “Come right this way, Mr. and Mrs. Tate,” the maître de said, saving me from the path my treacherous mind was trying to take.

  Maddock and I followed him, and we were seated at a corner table with a spectacular view of Boston. It might be winter, but the sun had been out in full force, and it was painting brilliant streaks of purple, orange, and gold across the sky as it dipped beneath the city skyline.

  “This has to be one of the best views in the city,” I breathed, my eyes glued to the scenery.

  “It is,” Maddock confirmed. “That’s why I picked it.” He paused for a moment, then added, “I figured your first real meal back on Earth should be a fantastic one.”

  I couldn’t help the grin that burst onto my lips. “Why, Maddock Tremaine, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were getting sentimental.”

  He laughed, and the brief moment of joy completely transformed his hard face. He looked warmer, more welcoming, like someone I might actually enjoy having dinner with instead of someone I barely tolerated. “Perhaps I simply wanted an excuse to visit this restaurant again,” he said lightly, picking up the menu.

  We ordered wine and appetizers, then chatted while we waited for our food. I couldn’t believe how easy the atmosphere was between us—the sexual tension was there, as always, but there was none of the aggression that usually laced the air between us. Every interaction I’d ever had with Maddock was always a fight for dominance. A battle of wills, a test of faith, a crisis of conscience.

  But as we sat here, enjoying prosecco and shrimp cocktails, I felt none of that angry tension. There was only the two of us, some light conversation, and delicious food.

  Finally, our main courses arrived—a massive, dry-aged ribeye steak for Maddock and pan-fried swordfish for me. I closed my eyes as the first bite hit my tongue, and I actually moaned.