by JL Madore
Jade followed me up the stairs. "I like you, Mika. Despite what's going on with Bruin, I like you. If you need a friend—"
"Who me? But I'm just a stupid Mundie who doesn't deserve to be in the same room as the rest of you, aren't I."
Jade sighed. "Lexi sees things in her own way. Please don't let her speak for the rest of us. Bruin will be furious when he hears what happened."
I huffed and climbed to the next landing, my vision blurring more. "More likely he'll be jealous he didn't get a crack at me. I swear he wants to throttle me half the time."
I brushed the egg on the back of my head and closed my eyes. Bad idea. The ground shifted under my feet. I opened them quickly and put a flat hand against the wall.
"And mate you the other half?" Jade nodded, a smile tugging at the curve of her full lips.
I continued down the hall toward my room, my hand running along the wall, Jade right beside me. I never realized how far it was from the main foyer to my room. My feet felt like cement blocks dragging under me. I needed to get to the suite soon. Whatever might be left in my stomach from the cave was going to boomerang back from whence it came.
"Bruin and I . . . we've run our course." I shook my head a little, watching the silver braid in her hair splitting into three. "Look . . . I know you're his sis . . . maybe we shouldn't. . ." I tried to grab the wall on the way down, but my body just wouldn't listen.
"Mika?"
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
It's funny how sometimes you wake up in total clarity, ready to take on the world and sometimes you're mired in a murky fog, not sure where you are and no clue how the hell you ended up there. This was one of the latter.
Lying in a bed—my bed at Jade's I assumed—the musky-cedar of Bruin's scent filled the air. It mixed with the soft melody of a guitar and someone singing. The voice—so unbelievably pure and deep it could only be an angel's—sang in a language I didn't understand.
Despite my drugged, happy haze, I forced my eyes to open.
Aust's soft smile widened, lighting his eyes. "Neelan, thank the gods. Are you well?"
I tried to sit up and answer, but my voice cracked and the room spun.
Aust leaned the guitar against the chair and eased onto the edge of the bed. As the mattress dipped under his weight, he brushed hair from my face. He was the one who looked like hell. His eyes, dull and blood-shot, lacked their usual gleam and he had one heck of a shiner blooming on the left side of his face.
"Aust? What happened to you?"
He waved away my concern and shook his head. "Fash not. It is you who suffered injury, sweeting, a slow bleed inside your skull. You fell unconscious. Blessed be Jade accompanied you at the time. Had she not healed your injuries immediately, you would have been lost to us."
Ahhh. I remembered the fight in the foyer with Lexi and proceeded to take stock. My fingers and toes still wriggled, stomach was solid, head no longer threatening to explode but still drumming out a throbbing beat. "My skull's too thick to crack."
He grinned and took my hand. "Mayhap not."
I rolled to my side and tried to sit up. "Was Bruin here?"
Aust hesitated, then helped prop me up and get comfortable against the headboard. "Other than Jade, Galan and Orville, no other came through the door."
Right, I'd sent Bruin off with Katsu, hadn't I? I swallowed back the growl rumbling in my chest. "Where's Jade now?"
"Right here." She glided into the suite, followed by Galan carrying a tray. "Finally decided to wake up, did you?" She leaned over and smiled. "You look better. Are you hungry?"
Aust jumped to his feet and made room.
"Starving. How long was I out?"
"Almost two days. Here, Galan remembered what you liked from the Modern Realm and we sent Cowboy. You need to regain your strength, so eat, Healer's orders."
When Galan set the tray over my lap, I peeled into the Hamburger Mary's bag and pulled out a chili-cheeseburger and onion rings. My stomach was imploding, the rumble quickly becoming a 9.0 quake. I drew on strawberry milkshake, amazed it was still frozen. "Galan, you rock."
"My pleasure, Mika. If you will excuse me, I am meeting Castian and a few elders of the Fae court and need to change. Feel better, little one." Galan kissed my forehead and trailed a finger along the edge of my jaw. "I shall thank the gods you are well."
"Thank you, Galan." I offered Aust an onion ring. "Somebody thank Cowboy for his trouble. This is fabulous."
"I shall," Galan said. He winked, kissed Jade and then, running her braid through his fingers he said, "I shant be long, an hour or two at most, I expect."
Her smile as she walked him out made my cheeks flush. It was sweet how the two of them loved each other. Gentle and peaceful. Not at all like the collisions Bruin and I constantly found ourselves in. The two of us were drawn like neodymium magnets, smashing together only to ricochet off into oblivion. Then, ten minutes later we'd be sucked back together again for yet another crushing blow.
I couldn't deny I wanted him. Physically he encapsulated everything I'd ever wanted in a lover, but the push and pull wasn't doing either of us any good. Sadly, it was time to get off the ride before someone lost a limb, or died of a cracked skull.
It wasn't Bruin that needed to go. It was me.
I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud until Aust's expression fell. "Reconsider, neelan. Let things settle before you make such a decision." Aust gathered the crumpled wrappers from my lunch, stuffed them back into the bag and removed the tray. "I spoke to Nash earlier and he is hosting a stargazing event at the observation center tomorrow night. I thought mayhap you and your grandfather might enjoy it. Come as my guests. Please."
"I don't belong here, Aust."
"But you do. You belong with me. I just found you."
Avoiding the heart-wrenching agony in his ice-blue gaze, I swung my feet out from under the quilt and set them flat on the floor. I couldn't stand the idea of leaving him looking so haggard and lost. What was this connection between us? He knelt on the floor before me and peered up through red-rimmed eyes. I didn't have the strength to walk away from him. Yet.
"Tomorrow night sounds perfect. Grandfather and I were supposed to go out last week with my telescope but, with all that's happened, we didn't get there."
The relief on his face was staggering. "Then it is settled."
When he leaned in to kiss me, I cupped his jaw. My fingers brushed the black velvet mourning band he wore for the loss of his father. He put up a good front, but he was struggling in this world too. "Aust, you look tired. I'm all right. Go get some sleep . . . or reverie . . . or whatever you Elves do to stay healthy. I can't rest if I'm worried about you."
Aust bowed his head and clapped his hand to the thigh of his leather pants. Faolan bounded to his side as he headed out the door, her ebony tail swishing like a sword, narrowly missing a vase filled with lilacs on the coffee table.
My noggin felt like scrambled eggs. I rubbed my head, wishing both my skull and my palm would stop making my life hell. At least my vision had improved and the world stopped swaying beneath me like the fun-house floor. Yippee.
I slid a hand down my front and took inventory. Everything seemed to be working. I paused to read the black t-shirt I wore. It was one of Bruin's. It said, 'Rogues do it from behind.' My chest tightened and I pushed him out of my mind. "Jade, am I good to go have a shower?"
Deep red curls bounced as she nodded. "Don't overdo the bending and reaching for today and you'll be fine. I can't tell you how lucky we were." She frowned and rubbed a claw pendant wrapped around her wrist. "Bruin would have lost his mind if Lexi killed you. Even now I doubt he'll ever forgive her."
"So, he knows?" I raised my hand. "Never mind, don't answer that."
She nodded. "I called him."
I couldn't help the stabbing pain in my gut that he hadn't come. Well, what did I expect? The last time I spoke to him I told him he was no better than a stray dog crushing on me. Nice. That was one of my more cutting i
nsults. I pushed back the chili-cheeseburger-churn in my gut and swallowed. "We had another fight."
"I saw," Jade said. "When I healed you . . . I saw. Sorry."
I checked my balance. Fairly certain I wasn't going to ass-plant, I pushed off into an old man shuffle toward the dresser. "Right, Bruin mentioned that side effect to your healing. Don't worry about it. Thanks for the save."
"I'd say anytime, but I'd rather not repeat the drama."
I grabbed a pair of worn jeans, a tank and fresh bra and panties and closed the drawers. "Yeah. Wasn't my best moment. Come to think of it, that whole day wasn't my best."
"He didn't go." Jade said.
I lifted my head. "Pardon?"
"Bruin. If you're interested. He didn't go help in Boston."
"None of my—What do you mean help?"
"Join the search for Katsu's brother." She lifted the tray off the bed and set it on the floor outside the door in the hall. "That's where everyone went, what Bruin told her in the garden. Her brother is missing."
"What?" I leaned against the wall and tightened my grip on my clothes. "Could you start at the beginning, please? I'm not tracking very well."
Jade looked as confused as I felt. "Okay, Katsu and her brother Tenkei run a jiu-jitsu dojo in Boston for street kids. The day before yesterday, while she was with you in Vancouver, a class showed up and the place had been trashed. The human police were called, but it was Scourge. We're pretty sure."
I shook my head. "I thought—"
"I felt what you thought, and rightly so. What you overheard had me ripping Bruin a new one, but then he explained."
Shit. He'd wanted to explain to me, but I wouldn't hear it. I rubbed a hand over my face. "I hate what this world is doing to me. I've turned into such a crazy bitch."
"Shake it off, Mika. It's a lot . . . the world, the hormones, the pressure. Galan and I were catastrophic at first and we didn't have to deal with half the stuff on your plate. You'll find your stride. I know how tough it is. You’re a strong woman used to steering your own life. I get it."
I snorted. "Please, you and Galan are perfect together."
"You should have seen the black eye and split lip I gave him in the beginning." She laughed. "It takes work to sync up, but if you can . . . there's nothing like these guys."
"It's so complicated."
Disapproval grew thick in her voice as she stared me down. "After the week I've had, you don't think I know that?"
I gathered my braid in my hand and brought it to rest on my chest. "I'm sorry. I should have asked, how are you feeling?"
She shrugged. "Sore. Embarrassed. Exhausted. Furious. It's different hour by hour."
"I'm sorry. It sucks having everyone know more about your business than you."
Jade propped herself on the edge of the bed and exhaled. "It does, but the point is . . . life feels complicated when things are happening, but it's not. It's simple. Iadon and Tham helped Galan save my life. And when I healed you, I felt how you love Bruin. I also felt how terrified you are to admit it."
"But my work. My friends. My life."
"You can make those things work form here and you know it. You're making excuses. It's time to stop. You're hurting Bruin and you're hurting yourself. You demand truth from everyone around you and yet you lie to yourself."
That's not true. My mind swirled with images and memories and fears. Everything I'd worked for and wanted, my job and my life in Vancouver. That was the life I wanted. Wasn't it?"
Jade stepped in front of me and squeezed my arm. "There's nothing going on with Katsu and deep down, you know it. He loves you. And you love him. Simple."
A knock had me clutching my clothes to my chest.
Jade strode over and opened the door a crack. "Julian's here to get you wired up. You up for a little tech visit?"
I smoothed down the t-shirt I wore, thankful that Bruin was a giant and it hung half-way down my thighs. "Sure."
Jade ushered in her genius brother and remained in the doorway. "I'll get out of your way and check on you before bed. Call me immediately if you feel dizzy or off balance."
I laughed. "How will I know the difference? Dizzy and off balance is my new normal."
Jade's smile was sad. "Hang in there, Mika. Work on syncing up."
She meant well—I knew that—but I was glad when the door closed behind her. I hadn't regained the strength to fight yet. And as Bruin's sister, she pushed things at me I didn't want to think about. Julian was better company. Safer.
He set out his tools and a box of blue cable next to my laptop and swung his bag off his shoulder. Before he got to work, he pushed up the sleeves of his shirt and dug through his gear. The elaborate dragon tattoo on his forearm caught my attention. I thought back to the Gatehouse when we'd met. He'd worn a blue Polo shirt and I hadn't noticed the ink.
How had I missed that? Details were my thing.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He checked his fly. "Everything all right?"
I snapped out of my thoughts and pointed to the table. "What's with the cabling? Don't I already have access?"
"You had limited, monitored access. This is full access, nobody watching."
"Why now? A few days ago, I begged Reign to let me work and he shut me down."
Julian rubbed a palm over his face and exhaled. The action made me smile. Bruin did that exact same thing. "Reign is majorly pissed about Lexi hurting you. He knows how strong she is and he didn't think to have you checked out when he broke up your fight. It was a lethal error that almost cost you your life and Bruin, his mate."
"I don't hold Reign responsible."
He held a finger over his mouth and smiled. "Keep that to yourself. A Reign apology is a rare thing. Bask in the glow, sister mine. It got you Internet, didn't it?"
I guess it did. "Fine. I'll take it. Thanks."
I set my clothes on the top of the dresser and moved so I could watch him run my line. "Have you gotten anywhere on the names and photos Bruin and I gave you from the Nimithic case? Do you think I'm right?"
Julian tilted his head side to side as he pulled tools out and set them on the desk. "I've been ricocheting from one dummy corporation to another but, when I follow the money trails, I always end up in some off-shore country with a shitload of cash stashed away. I've set markers on the accounts to notify me of activity and will keep digging, but that kind of money . . . it makes me think it's a lot bigger than you and Bruin thought."
I looked at those lilacs and wished Bruin was here so we could talk this out. I wished like hell I could go back to when we'd made our truce before leaving for Vancouver. We'd set ourselves on a path for a future and I said I'd give us a shot. He'd been crazy happy until his stupid slip of the tongue. And then I'd ruined everything.
Shit, Julian said something, but I missed it.
He smiled up at me from where he knelt against the wall. "I was saying, when I'm done, your connection will be as fast as anything you're used to. When you download though, there might be a latency of a few microseconds, but nothing that will affect you."
He set down his crimping tool and his smile faded. "Remember, tech support is available 24/7. I'd rather wake up at 3 in the morning than have someone messing with my system because they think they know what's what."
"Got it, thanks, Julian. Being unplugged is a scary thing. I've been getting the shakes, Jonesing for . . ." I noticed the leather straps bound around Julian's wrist held a large polished bear claw. Both Lexi and Jade had one too. "That is Bruin's, isn't it?"
Lifting his arm, he smoothed his thumb over the silky surface. Its deep luster set off the warm mocha colour of his skin. "Yeah, it's a Skirl. He gave one to each of us a few months ago. It's like a dog whistle, but it calls directly to him. No matter where he is in either realm he hears it and knows which one of us needs him."
"It's beautiful."
Julian slid it from around his wrist, unwrapped the length of leather and hung it over my neck. "You should have one
. If anything happened to you—yeah, well, you should have one."
"But, he gave it to you."
"No. Keep it." Julian placed a strong hand over mine and pressed it to my chest. "I know you're struggling right now, but he'll like that you have a piece of him with you."
I rubbed at the ache in my chest and struggled to draw a breath. God, the hormones had gotten way worse in two days of me lying unconscious.
Julian paused, set down his tiny screwdriver and ushered me into the bathroom. Leaning into the shower, he started the water and tested the spray. "Take a break, Mika. By the time you pull yourself together, at least your tech world will be restored. Maybe together we can go over a few things I'm working on."
"Thanks," I said blinking quickly, "I appreciate it."
Dropping my bundle of clothes onto the counter, I held on to my fall-apart until the door clicked shut behind me. With nobody watching, all bets were off. A second later, Julian cranked music in my room, probably so nobody could hear me. Bless you, Julian.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
"Fucking A. I think I found it, Mika."
Sliding my chair around to where Julian set up camp at the table in my suite, I checked out his screen. A bunch of numbers and symbols floated on a page looking like nothing much of anything to me. "I don't read the Matrix, “Neo". What does it say?"
Julian snorted. "You were right. I think I just found the order slips for large amounts of DMSO, Ketamine and three of the other chemicals on Bree's ingredients of horrors and had them delivered to that warehouse you busted. There's one more though . . . a drum of liquid Succinylcholine chloride."
"That could be part of the liquid in the vial. Bree hasn't nailed that sample down yet."
Julian clicked through a couple more pages and exhaled. "Christ, Mika, how'd you know where to look?"
I took control of his mouse for a sec and scrolled to the next page. "Agencies keep close watch on the purchasing of medical-grade chemicals, but the restrictions on veterinary grade are way more lax. Once Bree figured out what we were looking for. . ."