by Kaye Draper
Haunted by Pride
Gesa’s Menagerie Book 8
Kaye Draper
Copyright 2019
Chapter 1
Halstad pulled one leg up, planting his booted foot on the narrow cot and resting his arm on his knee. The worst part about being in mage time-out was the fucking boredom.
Well, that and being cut off from his magic. He tugged at the damned suppression collar, cursing whoever had invented it. He hoped the fucker got the pixie itch and their balls fell off.
What would Gesa think? He was sure she and the rest of the morons had to be out of bed by now. They probably all thought he'd just up and ran off. The guild was smart enough to take his Rover, so it would look like he just drove away from everything. Like he didn't want to stay.
The fae should be happy, at least. One less mage around to offend the little princess's sensibilities.
He let his head fall back to thunk against the concrete wall behind him. What the fuck had the guild's panties in such a twist? If they wanted him back, all they had to do was terminate his contract with White and take him back the normal way. What was with all this damned cloak and dagger charade?
He stared at the wall for Gods knew how long before someone finally came to see him. And wasn't he just the luckiest fucker alive? It was the High Mage. The ringleader of their little club.
"Mr. Halstad," the twat said, voice polite, as if Halstad wasn't sitting in a Godsdamned prison cell. The older mage carried himself with the military precision he always held, clipped and stiff as his regulation salt and pepper hair and his regulation clothes. "So good to see you awake. I thought maybe the enforcers were a bit too rough with you and you wouldn't be rejoining us."
Halstad raised a brow at the asshole and stared with his fae eyes, knowing his gaze unsettled most folk. Even mages who sold out their entire race for a seat on the mage guild found Halstad creepy.
"Wouldn't that just be a damned shame," Halstad said in a flat voice. "If you lost one of your most expensive tools."
Rogers ignored his comment and spoke to him like he was a misbehaving child unable to see reason. "You are lucky we've decided not to reset you, you know. Most of the guild was against letting you keep your memories."
Halstad gave him a bland look and refused to rise to the bait. He knew Rogers wanted him to express his gratitude, to be thankful they hadn't fucked with his mind. Being wiped and reset always carried a risk with it. The mage being reset could lose his magic or go insane and become unstable and have to be put down.
Halstad knew they didn't spare him out of any concern over his wellbeing. No, they just didn't want to risk losing a valuable commodity like an experienced, hardened battle mage. Especially one as freakishly powerful as Halstad.
"What do you want, Rogers?" What the fuck game were they playing? The guild could take him back, peaceably, anytime they wanted. Why beat the shit out of him and kidnap him?
"We are sending you overseas," Rogers said blandly. "As far from demon territory as possible." He frowned, his weathered brown face managing to look concerned for Halstad. "I'm afraid you've gotten wrapped up in the schemes of a rather dangerous owner. Why…he even beat you," he said with fake shock in his voice, gesturing at the bruises inflicted by the mage guild. "We're placing you out of his reach. For your own safety."
Halstad mulled that over while the High Mage watched him. So this was about White. Something about the demon had put them on edge. They'd agreed to sell Halstad's contract to the man, but then something happened to make them regret that decision.
It wasn't the fact that White was a demon. He was sure of that. The guild didn't have those sorts of morals. They sold to the highest bidder, didn't matter if the involved party was a monk or a mafia member. All that mattered was lining the guild's pockets so they could stay at the top of the food chain. And it wasn't even like White had used him for anything dastardly. Mostly, Halstad had been ordered to reinforce the already powerful wards on the guy's businesses and keep an eye on the gryphon and her pride.
He narrowed his eyes at Rogers. "What did the demon do to make y'all scared of your own shadow?"
Rogers laughed. "The guild isn't afraid of one power-hungry demon. We just wouldn't want our assets used in a counterproductive manner."
Oh. Politics. Halstad sighed. It was always either money or politics. White was up to something that the guild was afraid would undermine them. So, no mages for him. No mages anywhere in his territory, even. Must be something big.
"There is just one thing, before we send you to your new employer," Rogers said casually.
Halstad just looked at him. It was going to be bullshit, whatever the man had on his mind.
"That rune on your arm," Rogers said with curiosity. "We can't seem to scrub it. We'll need you to unweave it, since it seems it was you who placed it there."
Halstad barely suppressed a smile. His tracking rune. The one he shared with all the rest of Gesa's menagerie of freaks. "Sorry, boss," he said calmly. "I'm afraid this sucker's permanent."
Rogers frowned. "Halstad, I am not some green trainee. Runes and wards can always be unworked if you have the skill. And we both know you have the skill. In spades. Stop wasting time and remove it. Otherwise I'll have to get the rest of the guild mages in here and do a group spell. And you know how that will go."
Slow and painful, was how that would go. It was hard, grueling work, taking over another mage's power and turning it against its intended purpose. Halstad shook his head. "You don't get it, boss. No one can unwork this rune. It's laced with demon magic. And with the fae in my blood…."
Rogers looked like he'd sucked on a lemon, his narrow lips pursing in displeasure. "Fuck's sake, Halstad."
Halstad smirked, happy he'd finally caused the High Mage to stop acting all polite and calm. "Don't worry. I've still got the fucking mage bind worked into my skin. The guild still owns my ass."
The mage bind was a ward placed on children when they entered guild custody. It prevented them from ever breaking their contract with the guild.
Once, he'd been young and angry. Halstad was lucky he just happened to also be stupidly powerful and that the bind was set to be milder for youngsters. Because he'd sure as fuck lived to regret his youthful arrogance.
He'd tried to break his contract. It had left him blinded, broken, and bleeding out on a battlefield. And they'd still dragged him back and made him serve.
He was lucky. He'd heard the stories about others who'd been as stupid as him. Those stories always ended with what was left of the mage being scooped up into a shoebox for cremation.
No one left the guild.
Rogers glared at him in silence for a long time, probably trying to decide whether it was worth getting the guild leaders together to try to unwork the rune on his arm. Finally, the man shook his head and stood. "You're right. Whatever that rune is meant to do, it doesn't trump the self-destruct button. Remember that, Halstad."
Halstad met the hazel eyes of the High Mage. "Believe me, Sir, that ain't something a man forgets."
Chapter 2
I stood in the center of the old courthouse, my pride seated behind me on the wooden benches, and a row of stodgy-looking old humans in front of me. The mage guild—or at least the three representatives present at today's ridiculous fucking petition hearing—was an exercise in contradiction. The guild leaders were mostly human, though it was my understanding mages could work their way into leadership though years of honored service.
I guess the High Mage was an actual mage. But these fuckers in front of me were humans. Humans who had enslaved an entire species of people, but then had to get their slaves to guard them from the other slaves because they had no magic themselves. It made my head hurt.
I
glared at the row of mages that stood behind the guild representatives, one to each human. They were solemn and focused. Like good bodyguards.
How the fuck could you protect the people who enslaved you?
My gryphon side ruffled its feathers and clacked its beak at the wrongness of it all.
Of course, I knew the guild employed and managed all the mages in the world. But I didn't have any personal experience with mages until recently. I never realized how tightly they were bound. How shady this whole fucking thing was. The lion in me was outraged, its pride and honor offended. But I couldn't let that show. No killing mage guild members today. Because I needed them if I wanted my mage back, damn it.
"We have reviewed your petition, Miss Lionheart, but there is just one small problem," a middle-aged woman in the center said, her voice laced with that sort of better-than-everyone tone politicians and judges tended to get when they were high on power. She had introduced herself as magistrate Judith. But I immediately named her "Judge Judy" in my head.
I widened my stance, planted my feet, and crossed my arms. "I've had my petition reviewed by a lawyer. It's solid. I've got the money to buy the contract. What's the problem?"
The woman widened her eyes like she was going for innocent. "We've received word that it seems this particular mage has gone missing. Skipped out on his previous contract."
I pressed my lips together and prayed for patience. "He'll be back. Maybe he's off running errands for his current employer."
The woman gave me a bland look. "I would offer you another mage, Miss Lionheart, but I'm afraid there's one more issue with your petition." She picked up a heavy stamp and inked it, slamming it down on my petition with a final-sounding thump. Then she picked up the stack of papers and tapped it on the desk, ensuring all the pages lined up. "The guild has decided not to supply mages in this county at this time. I'm afraid we're just too understaffed to meet the demand."
I suppressed a growl. "I don’t want another mage. I want Halstad." And what did she mean? Were they so pissed at White for loaning out his mage that they were blacklisting all of Ontonagon county?
"I truly am sorry, Miss Lionheart," the lady said, sounding anything but sorry. "We cannot honor your request at this time. In fact, I need to adjourn this meeting early so we can try to find our missing mage. Hopefully we can find him before the contract period is up and the mage bind kicks in. Otherwise, I'm afraid his previous employer will be owing us replacement costs."
She stood and made to leave. I approached the bench where she stood, pushing aside my anger at the way she had just referred to Halstad like a missing cellphone. "You guys bind mages to their contracts," I said, staring up into that bitter, lined face. "You have to have some way of knowing where he is."
She rolled her eyes. "I assure you, Miss Lionheart, if we knew where he was, we'd have dragged him back home by now."
I couldn't read her. Flicking my eyes to the burly mage who stood behind the woman, I realized why. She was magically blocking my abilities to sense truth. Gee, that wasn't suspicious at all.
But I had a little trick up my sleeve that she couldn't anticipate. I felt around inside me, for that place where my innate magic lived. Then I grabbed onto the magic that wasn't mine, pulled on it to bolster my own gifts. Hisashi shifted in his seat behind me with a little groan as I pulled on his power.
"You have no idea where Halstad is?" I said again.
She heaved a put-upon sigh. "No. We do not know where Mr. Halstad has gone."
It wasn't as strong as usual. Not a clear signal. But I felt a little nibble of something. A little hint of the flavor of a lie.
They fucking knew where he was. They just didn't want him to come back here.
I glared at the guild representatives and their mage body guards as they filed out of the courtroom, leaving me standing alone in the center of the wood and tile space, feeling incredibly small for such a big-ass woman.
"Fuckers," I muttered.
The sound echoed around the nearly empty room. Kai touched my arm, bringing my attention back to the here and now. "Maybe wait until we're outside to curse at the people you want to impress so they'll give you a sexy, grumpy mage."
I huffed, but I followed my pride outside into the chill winter morning. A weak sun was trying its best to warm us up, but it was a wasted effort. "That bitch was lying," I muttered. "They know where he is. Why the hell are they so set against us having him?"
Hisashi shuddered and tucked his hands into his leather jacket. "Can we talk about how weird it feels when you grab ahold of my damned energy, by the way? I just got half hard in front of a bunch of old people."
"Sorry," I grumbled. I was so desperate that I didn't even think about that. We were all adjusting to having a part of our fox literally inside our being at all times. And wait…did he just say he enjoyed it when we touched his magic? I shook myself, filing that little bit of info away to use later. Mage. I needed my mage back.
Con squeezed my hand in sympathy. "What did she mean about replacing him?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Their whole system is fucked up."
Oisin shook his head, setting his riot of red waves ruffling around his shoulders. "Really, gryphon, do you research your potential bad decisions at all?"
I crossed my arms and glared at him. "What?"
He waved an elegant hand, encased in designer wool gloves. "Your fuck buddies. Your bed warmers. Your sausage bearers. Your--"
"Oh, shut the fuck up, fae. What did you mean about research?" I demanded.
He sighed. "Mages, darling. You don't know anything about them, and yet you want one of your very own. You know, this is why pets end up at the animal shelter. Owners just don't know what they're getting into…."
"Just spit it the fuck out already, Oisin, or I swear to the Gods, I'll burn every cashmere thing you own," I grumbled.
He smiled at me, slow and wicked. "You wouldn't dare. Gods, you are such a beast." He met my eyes and I think he saw how close I was to murdering his snarky ass. "Fine. Mages are always going on about their contracts, right? Well, why do you think that is? Why would they be so loyal to the people who basically own them?"
I waved my hand in a “get on with it” gesture.
"They self-destruct," he said with a sly, awful look in his eyes. "One wrong step and…boom…no more government dog."
I clenched my teeth. Could he maybe be less gleeful about that?
"Fuck," Con breathed. "That's harsh."
Hisashi elbowed Oisin as he walked by. "Subtle, dude."
I just stood there and stared at the falling snow wondering, once again, what the fuck I ever did to make the Gods hate me so much? Even if we found Halstad and convinced him to come back, the mage guild could just refuse…and he'd have no way to tell them off because…boom, apparently.
Fuck my life.
Chapter 3
Hisashi followed Kai up the spiral staircase to the apartment. He felt better since spreading out his power to bind himself to his shrine—his pride. But every now and then he still felt the old, uncontrollable pull of his powers. He gripped the handrail and focused on Kai's amazing round ass, not on the floating, free-falling sensation of the otherworld pulling at him.
Voices whispered, just beyond his hearing. He shut them out. He didn't want to be completely cut off from his powers, from who he was. But he also needed this bit of control. The ability to turn it off and on, on his own terms. And now wasn't the damned time to be chatting with the misty creatures of the otherworld.
"Maybe White's right and the mangy bastard ran off to escape the guild—for however long that works for him," Oisin was saying as they reached the landing and headed toward the kitchen.
Hisashi smirked. It seemed all their important conversations took place there, where Con could feed them magic cupcakes and distract them with caffeine. The hedge witch magic in their human might not be showy, but it subtly held them all together.
Gesa growled. "I don't care," she huffed,
somehow unfazed by Oisin's hatred of their new potential lifemate. "If he doesn't want to stay, fine. But I will drag his ass back here so he can tell me to my face. So I know it was actually his choice."
Kai laid a hand on Gesa's shoulder, her deep blue eyes concerned. "But what if he doesn't want to be found? What if us tracking him down ruins his chance to escape the guild's slavery?"
Hisashi gratefully took the cup of tea Con pressed into his hands. It smelled like cloves and hedge witch magic. He arched a brow at the other man in silent question. How did Con know he needed this, needed something to calm his powers? The brunette shrugged and moved on, puttering about the coffeemaker for the rest of them.
Hisashi sipped his tea. His head was starting to ache, but whatever bit of magic Con had used, it helped take the edge off. "What about the self-destruct thing tying him to his contract," Hisashi piped up, trying to focus on the conversation, rather than what was going on in his head. "If Halstad really ran from the guild, does that mean he has a way to negate that? Because I'm pretty sure that's impossible."
Gesa flopped into a kitchen chair. "I don't know. Fuck." She ran her hand through her tangled blond waves, making the mess worse. Her gold eyes flashed with anger and that innate need she seemed to have to protect everyone she met. She might be gruff and stubborn, but their gryphon wasn't about to let Halstad just disappear, not if she thought he might actually be in danger.
Which…that was the big problem, wasn't it? Hisashi had already learned once that keeping things from the pride was a bad idea. But if he told Gesa he'd been seeing fae ghosts who said Halstad needed their help, she was sure to go off half-cocked. It was what she did. And of course the others would follow her anywhere, even if they knew it was a terrible idea. Hisashi rubbed his forehead. Since when did he suddenly become responsible for everyone else's bad decisions?
Gesa stormed off somewhere, muttering about mages and assholes and contracts. Con followed after her with a sigh and a massive mug of coffee. A soft touch on Hisashi's arm brought him back from that place where everything had faded to shadows.