Breaking Out

by Gayle Parness

  My last meeting with my guardian, Lord Tellek hadn’t gone that well.

  When I’d entered the receiving room in his enormous estate on Catalina Island three months ago, he’d turned his large frame away from the window and moved across the room to his desk. He wasn’t at all graceful in human form, his body wobbling back and forth with each step, his head bobbing as if he were treading water, only his head above the ocean’s surface.

  With great effort, he lowered his body into the chair behind his desk, the chair hissing under his weight. The desk itself was a masterpiece, once belonging to a chieftain of old and purchased by Lord Tellek for more stones than I could count. It was carved from ancient driftwood, spelled to enhance its strength and hold its gnarled shape. Although the surface was flat and smooth, the sides and legs curved like branches still reaching for the sea that pounded against the rocks below his windows.

  We could have met in the court grotto, but he preferred this private location. It didn’t bode well for my survival.

  “Lord Tellek.” I’d bowed clumsily. Unsure.

  “Please sit.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Yes, Lord.” His tone was crisp.

  “Yes, Lord.” I answered, ashamed I hadn’t known the correct form of address.

  “Why are you here?’ His voice was deep, yet dissonant.

  “To apply for the job.” I settled into the chair more comfortably, trying to keep myself from trembling. He had a reputation for cruelty, probably not unearned.

  “Have you been informed of the dangers involved in taking on this position? The commitment you must make?”

  “Yes, Lord.” I’d heard every detail, read every pamphlet.

  “My captains have spoken to you of the training? The consequences if you fail?”

  “Yes, Lord.” I clenched my jaw, then forced it to relax. I can’t show weakness.

  “What questions do you have?”

  I didn’t hesitate. “If I’m accepted, when will payments be made?” My family was suffering.

  His wide mouth turned up in amusement. He seemed to enjoy the fact that I was financially needy, a personality flaw I expected to see in such a male. Because my father, the first cousin of the chieftain, had made some bad choices, Lord Tellek had lent him a large amount of money. Now we were in his debt. We took what jobs we were able to find, but this new position would ensure my family’s survival. Because I was magically gifted, I was a perfect candidate for this position, even though I hadn’t had the opportunity to explore my potential. I was actually excited to start my training.

  “Every full moon your family will receive what was promised and you will be given a small stipend.”

  “Will you…?” I swallowed hard. “I’d like an agreement drawn up: a blood agreement. In case something happens to me. My family must continue to receive compensation even after my death.”

  He flicked his wrist. The amount was nothing to him. “My assistant will accommodate your request.”

  “Your blood, Lord.” His eyebrows shot up in shock. “Assistants come and go. Once out of the picture their agreements can be voided.”

  He stood, a massive wall of flesh. “Stand over there by the window. Rest your left hand on the small table.” I walked quickly to the place he’d indicated, trembling with excitement or maybe fear. Taking the supplies he needed from a desk drawer near his feet, he joined me.

  He held up a vial. “Seawater from the caves of Loome.” Another. “The blood of the Guardians.” A third item: “The dagger of Senshell” To be near such sacred artifacts was an incredible experience. My eyes filled with tears as he announced, “I have chosen you over the other candidates, but if you fail, you will not meet a swift end. Do you agree to this?” I nodded. “Speak.”

  “I agree, Lord Tellek.”

  “The target will destroy us if left to his own devices. He must be delivered to me. You understand?”

  “Yes, Lord.”

  “Excellent.” He lifted my hand and slashed my palm with the blade, slashing his immediately after. Tellek sprinkled both wounds with liquids from the vials then clasped my hand. The spell was spoken in the old tongue, the words like waves hissing against the sand. The promise was sealed.

  “I don’t feel any different.” I said, blinking back my tears.

  “You will. The training begins today. It will go easier if you don’t fight against it.” He pushed my body to the wall, pinning me there with his heavy weight, flattening his hand against my forehead. His power breached the fog of my shields and he set about changing my aura. I’d screamed and screamed, but no one came.

  That day was only the beginning of my training. Weeks of pain and terror followed. Tellek enjoyed every second of his spell casting. And now here I was, an instrument to use in the destruction of the target. It was foretold that Charles Liam William Cuvier would ignore his own fae blood and destroy our people leading the demon hoards against us. Tellek had seen the future, and it was clear.

  A tremor raised the hair on my forearms. That first day, Tellek hinted that he might kill the target. But Charlie Cuvier’s mind was full of important information essential to my people’s continued existence. If I bring him to Tellek, he might be destroyed, Would that ensure my people’s safety, or would killing him start a war that would really wipe out our race for good?

  CHARLIE

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  "So what's up with the pain?" Jay asked, busy at the sink drying dishes.

  "The pain?"

  "Ivy. C'mon."

  I rolled my eyes. "She's back in the shower for real this time. I’ll have Samson keep an eye on the window just in case.”

  “What’s your take on her?” I had a feeling that Jay’s interest wasn’t strictly professional.

  “Either she’s a spy or she's in some kind of serious trouble."

  "We should treat her as a potential enemy until we know different." That was my second in command talking.

  "I agree.” I glanced at him, wincing at the idea of dragging her around with us. “We'll have to take her with us."

  He held up his hands. "Whoa. I didn't say we should kidnap her, Char."

  "There's no other choice. The wolves might come back for her. Or if she’s a spy she’ll report back to whoever sent her.”

  I left through the back door to give Samson his instructions. When I got back, Jay was drying his hands on a towel. He settled in a kitchen chair, giving me a long, hard look. "You haven't been up front about what we're doing here in L.A."

  I shrugged, looking away. "I had an idea, contacted someone. You know how I get.” I kept things close until I was sure. “You might want to think about going back."

  "So that's it, huh? You're gonna blow me off? That’s bullshit!" Grabbing another soda, he walked outside to the small fenced-in backyard, lowering his huge frame onto a ratty green beach chair that might end up collapsing under his weight. There was a large umbrella over it so it hadn’t gotten too wet.

  Jay had stuck by me for this whole trip, trusting that I knew what I was doing, putting up with wet shoes and ley line nausea. He'd heard about the prophecy just like all the rest of the supernatural world and he'd understood why I needed space. He had my back in a way no one else did.

  When we were still kids, Isaiah had called him my second-in-command—my captain in the war that was to come. Maybe he was meant to go on this journey with me, even this part.

  I joined him outside. "You're right. I should’ve told you everything before we left. You might have decided not to come."

  "If you really think that, then you don't know shit about me." He was royally pissed.

  "You wanna punch me?" I was only half teasing.

  "I'd rather hear the truth. Then maybe I'll punch you."

  "Can we mindspeak?" He nodded. "I'm meeting someone."

  "Who?"

  "A client."

  "A what?”

  “Look, I can do magic—magic that can help people. Why not start acting like the
responsible adult everyone says I should be? There are supes who need help and can’t go to the cops or even their councils.”

  "And you’re planning on doing this work alone?”

  “It could be dangerous. L.A.’s not Crescent City.”

  “Uh huh. And…?”

  "That's all."

  “I think I really will punch you.”

  “Why? Because I didn’t tell you my idea, or because it’s a stupid idea?”

  “Because you were thinking of cutting me out of such a sweet plan.”

  “You like it?”

  “We’ll have our own Rogues Team. My dads’ll freak.” Two leopard shifters, Peter and Kyle, adopted Jay when his drug addict parents got themselves killed in a car crash while they were out trying to score. Jay was a young child when it happened, too young to remember much about his two parents.

  At a party we were invited to in Monterey, some kid offered Jay a bag. Jay flipped, pushing the guy against the wall, rifling through his pockets then flushing what he found down the toilet. The party broke up fast after that.

  “You can’t tell anyone about the new business. At least not until we get it up and running.”

  “And who’s the client?”

  “Some female wolf. The alpha’s mate. We’re meeting with her tomorrow afternoon at three.”

  “Sweet. But what do we do about the pain in the ass upstairs?”

  “Looks like she’s coming along.”

  IVY

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “Where’d you guys sleep last night? Outside?” They were looking kinda rough, scruffy even.

  “I slept in the hall, Jay took the couch.”

  I gave the big one a long look. “You fit on the loveseat?”

  “He can sleep anywhere, but Samson and I need to stretch out.”

  “Samson? Who’s he? Your imaginary friend?” I heard a soft growling noise behind me and turned, freezing in place. A dog the size of a smart car was sitting on my patio. “Uh…he’s not yours is he?” I started looking for my cell phone. Didn’t I leave it on the couch? “I’m gonna call animal control.”

  “Forget it. He’s mine.” Charlie took a step toward the sliding door.

  “No!” I couldn’t hide my terror. “I…I…dogs are animals.”

  Jay and Will laughed. “Yeah…”

  “I don’t like animals and they don’t like me either.”

  “He’s harmless, as long as you don’t do anything to hurt us.” The door slid open and the Monster walked past Charlie, heading right for me. I scooted in reverse until the back of my knees hit the sofa. With no other choice, I dropped down on the seat, tucking my legs beneath me. I didn’t want to give him any toes to chew on. All the while his beady black eyes were locked on my hazel. Holy crap. I was toast.

  The Monster sniffed my knees and growled, the sound vibrating through my chest, deeper, louder. Gasping, I stood on the couch cushions, leaning backward, throwing my legs over and landing on the floor with a thump. Now behind the couch, I crouched and frog walked toward the stairs, hoping The Monster would ignore me now that he couldn’t see me.

  Soft growling near the staircase. I covered my head, cowering like a baby.

  “Samson. Come.” A minute later a hand rested on my shoulder. “It’s okay. He’s outside again.”

  “Why did he growl at me?”

  The guys exchanged a glance, Jay taking my hand and leading me to the couch. “Come and sit.” I collapsed in a lump. He sat beside me. Charlie sat across from us. “Samson acts like that when he sees someone as a threat to me. You weren’t being aggressive, so he only gave you a warning. He’s not sure where you stand. Neither am I.”

  “He’s a dog. Dogs don’t think logically.”

  “He’s more than a dog.”

  I buried my face between my hands and groaned. Holy shit, he had a cu sith. I knew his mom had one, but Charlie? Could this be the same one? It didn’t really matter, cause the creature was here and I was gonna have to deal with it. If I had a hundred freakin’ bits for every time a dog tried to bite me, I’d own a penthouse in Malibu. I gave Charlie the scowliest frown I could manage. “Keep that monster away from me. He might have big teeth but I know how to use a gun.” And if I were in my true form we’d see how well that ugly faerie dog did against me.

  “Do you own one?”

  “What?”

  “A gun.”

  “No, but I know where I can get one. You got cash?”

  “We won’t be needing a gun.”

  “What if those guys come back?”

  “The wolves?” I shrugged, not denying it.

  “We don’t need guns against them.” Charlie said, his brown eyes so focused on mine I thought he might burn a hole in my pupils. I couldn’t see the real him anymore, meaning he’d either found a way to strengthen his glamour or my spells were weakening. Great.

  “Jay looks pretty powerful, but you? “ I flattened my hand, tilting it back and forth. “Eh.”

  “I might surprise you.” He smiled. He was much cuter when he smiled. Of course I knew how powerful he was, at least what the rumors said. According to Tellek he was a monster.

  “Maybe. ” Yep, that smile sure surprised me. It was beautiful, distracting even. There was something wrong with this whole picture. These guys were nice. The guy I’d trained to take down had killed hundreds of his own people. This couldn’t be the same guy.

  He touched my knee with the tip of his fingers. “I want to help you. What are you running from?”

  I pinched my arm hard like I’d been taught. Pain helped me focus and combat the magic he was throwing my way. I could handle torture if I had to. “Why do you think I’m running?” I waited for the pain to start.

  He looked around. “Who’d live like this by choice?”

  My chin dropped. Wow. Insults were the new torture. “Oh, nice. Just ‘cause I’m broke and can’t afford anything better, you don’t have the right to judge me.”

  “There’s a blood stain on the floor in the bedroom.”

  “Previous tenants. Maybe they were honey badgers.”

  “The curtains have so many holes everyone can see in.” Jay added.

  “Maybe I’m an exhibitionist.” I put my feet flat on the floor. These guys were asking for it.

  “I saw three cockroaches in the kitchen.” Charlie said, looking at Jay, who held up five fingers.

  “Only five? They must’ve called off the party.”

  “Samson ate a few.” Jay added. I giggled. Couldn’t help it.

  Charlie’s eyes narrowed. He still had his fingers on my knee. “Your shields are pretty strong.”

  My laughter died a quick death. “You think you can bust through them?” No reason to lie about having them. I’d already felt him nudging around.

  “I can, easily, but I won’t, at least not yet.”

  Yeah, like I believed that lie. Only…maybe I did. “Why?”

  “It’s painful when someone tears through your shields. I know. It’s happened to me.”

  “And you give a shit about hurting me?”

  “Of course we do. We won’t hurt you, unless you attack one of us or betray us to someone else. Then all bets are off.”

  That was some promise, but could I believe it? “So how’re ya gonna get at all this supposedly secret information that’s hiding in my head?”

  He traced the scar on his palm. “You’re going to make the right choice and tell us the truth. I really don’t want to go the other route. I’ll give you twenty-four hours.” Charlie looked at Jay for a few heartbeats, then Jay jumped up and headed for the kitchen.

  “I’ve been telling you the truth.” I looked down at my knee, where his fingers rested. He could have hurt me—I know it. But he hadn’t. “You’re sticking around another twenty-four hours?” I asked.

  “No. We’re going to eat breakfast, get cleaned up and go meet my first client. You’re coming along.” He took my hand and pulled me up. “Do you have any clean towel
s?”

  “Whadaya think I am, an animal?”

  He grinned. “Maybe. I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Ha, ha.” There was some banging around in the kitchen. “What’s he doing back there?”

  He took a sniff. “Smells like pancakes and bacon.”

  “Pancakes, really?”

  Jay poked his head in, a kitchen towel tucked into his waistband. “Stick with us and we’ll show you the world.”

  Charlie laughed. “At least all the fast food joints.”

  “Don’t listen to him, kid. Sometimes we go to that Fig Garden place.” Jay went back to his cooking.

  I giggled again. “How old are you guys?”

  “Jay’s twenty. I’m Eighteen. You?” I was sticking to my lie, at least for now.

  “Eighteen.”

  “Ha.”

  “Okay, seventeen.”

  My so-called target arched a perfectly formed eyebrow. “I can tell when you lie,” he admitted.

  I groaned. That had to be the worst magical gift ever, at least for the other guy—in this case, me. “Fine. I’m seventeen in two months.”

  “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “My life is complicated.”

  “Tell me about it.” There was something in his expression that made me feel kind of sorry for the guy. That is, if he was really as nice as he seemed and hadn’t killed hundreds of his people like Tellek said.

  “Food’s on.” Jay poked his head in, smiling. I smiled back. I think I could fall for a guy who made pancakes.

  The bacon was cooked perfectly, the pancakes melted in my mouth. I couldn’t stop saying “mmmm” and “ooooh.”

  Jay had been laughing at me for a while. “Starting to sound like an adult movie in here.”

  I giggled. Wow, so many times in one day. Had to be a record for me. “Thank you, Jay. You rock big time.”

  Charlie frowned. “Don’t make such a big deal. His head will swell, which is a real problem for a guy that large. We’ll have to trade in the rental for one with a sunroof.”