Influential Magic

by Deanna Chase

  This night. What the hell am I doing here? “That’s good, since I’m not really fit for consumption, as you probably already know.”

  The room went silent as my words sank in. It wasn’t exactly a secret I was the creator of Sunshine, a drink I’d created to discourage vampire bites. The potion made faery blood impossibly bitter and unappetizing. Too bad it didn’t work for humans; it might have saved David. Or not, since he’d asked to be turned. Allcot held my gaze. The intensity made my skin crawl and one wing twitched involuntarily.

  His laugh started as a chuckle, then blossomed as his companions joined in. “I knew I’d enjoy our meeting.”

  Tired of the theatrics, I straightened my spine and got right to the point. “Why did you summon me here, Mr. Allcot?”

  His smile disappeared as he narrowed his eyes. “Bored of me already?”

  Shrugging one shoulder, I dug my nails into the velvet settee. “I could say I’m dying to know what you want from me, but we both know it isn’t true. Maybe we should just get down to business.”

  David cleared his throat, shifting slightly so he ended up almost brushing my arm.

  He always was protective.

  “Relax, Davidson. Your girlfriend is safe,” Allcot said.

  David nodded once, but didn’t move.

  I opened my mouth to deny the association, but caught myself before I blew his cover. Double agent, remember, Willow?

  Allcot said something into his companion’s ear and gave her a slow, sensuous kiss, which she returned with vigor. With one last lick of her bottom lip, he sent her off toward the other two vampires, who’d been watching in rapture. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. The whole thing made me long for a hot shower.

  “Very well.” Allcot turned his attention to me. “Since it appears the niceties are over, I won’t waste any more of your time. It has come to my attention that my young one here,” he said, nodding his head toward David, “is now working with the Void. And you in particular.”

  My breath vanished, and I had trouble refilling my lungs. What. The. Hell? “What makes you think that?”

  “He told me.”

  Every muscle in my body ached to turn to David. To lash out and maim him. But what if the teenager vampire was bluffing? “Why would he do that?”

  “Because he knows where his loyalties lie. Do you?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Not everyone is as they seem. You’d be better served if you employed more caution with those you keep close.”

  I clenched my fists to keep from slapping the righteous, self-important look from his face. “Are you being cryptic on purpose, or have you completely bought into the master of the universe persona you have going on?”

  His eyes turned dark gray and he lowered his voice. “Be careful, faery. You’re here at my whim.”

  “I am well aware of that fact, vampire. What do you want from me?”

  Allcot picked up a glass paperweight and tossed it from hand to hand. I couldn’t help but wish it would drop and smash his toes. No such luck. He cast me a calculating look and replaced the art on his desk. “Information. It has come to my attention another vampire has turned his focus to you. I am aware Davidson has signed on to help you track him down. I want to be kept informed.”

  “Why?” I asked, careful to keep any suspicion from my voice. It was highly unusual for vampires to care what happened to faeries. The two races tended to ignore each other.

  “To eliminate them, of course.”

  “Uh, okay, but why would you involve yourself in my affairs?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? Orange Influence. And Davidson here has a fondness for you. He’s under my care. I’d like to keep him happy.” Allcot sent David a loving smile, making my stomach churn.

  I moved from behind the settee and faced the master vampire. “Does the messenger who delivered the letter today work for you?”

  David followed, taking up position beside me.

  “No.” Eadric’s steady response left zero opening to judge if he was bluffing.

  “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

  David shifted uneasily again. I bet no one ever questioned Allcot. Well, there was a first time for everything.

  “You don’t. We’ll have to learn to trust each other.”

  “I don’t trust—”

  “Vampires? What about the lovely Davidson here?” Allcot’s eyes gleamed as his gaze shifted back and forth between us.

  “I was going to say easily. I don’t trust easily.”

  He stood, his six-foot-two frame towering over me. “That makes two of us, Agent Rhoswen. We’ll have to see what we can do to overcome that.”

  “I don’t understand why you’re helping me.” I studied him, trying to see through his layers of armor. “You know I don’t sell Influence to vampires and wouldn’t under any circumstances.”

  “Of course.” His expression shifted from arrogant jackass to one of concern. “But if you’re captured and tortured, the knowledge of how to reproduce it could be obtained.”

  I fought the urge to take a step back. Is that what this was all about? A power play to get the Influence recipe? It took more than ingredients to get the drug to work, but in the right hands…

  A small shudder ran through me. There was a reason the narcotic was heavily regulated. Was he worried one of his enemies might get hold of it? “Why do you care so much?”

  “I have my reasons.” He stepped closer, staring me straight in the eye. “Aside from information on what you find out about the rogue vampire, I’m offering my protection for free. It seems a fair trade, does it not?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “And what if I don’t agree?”

  “You will.” The vampire retreated and relaxed against his desk, the amused expression once again transforming his face back into the young teenager I’d mistaken him for.

  Stifling a sneer, I clenched my teeth. Arrogant son of a bitch. “How can you be so sure?”

  “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to Davidson, would you?” He waved a careless hand in David’s direction.

  “Are you threatening me?” Would he really hurt one of his own? Sick sociopath.

  “A threat?” His eyes narrowed in a flash of anger. “My dear, if I was threatening you, you’d know it.”

  And I did. The hard, uncaring look on his face told me he was capable of almost anything.

  “I protect what’s mine. No one but me harms my property. If you don’t agree, I can’t let Davidson continue working with you. It’s your choice.”

  This was my chance to get rid of David. I could refuse, and he would vanish from my life again. But if I did, would Eadric kill him, torture him, or simply send him away? I had no way of knowing. What I did know is Eadric wasn’t messing around. So what if he wanted info on a vampire? What was it to me? Especially if he was correct and the vamp was after Influence. I still wanted to understand his motivation, but he’d made it clear he wasn’t talking.

  “Fine, but I want your word you won’t harm David and that the messenger today doesn’t work for you.”

  “I’ve already stated both to be true, but I’ll say it again. You have my word.”

  ***

  The vampire pressure had been so heavy that when I finally made it to the landing on the stairs, I stumbled. If it hadn’t been for my wings, I’d have crumpled at the bottom.

  David led me to the table we’d shared an hour earlier. “Wait here. I need to grab some things before we leave.”

  “But—”

  “It’s fine. You’re under Eadric’s protection now. No one will bother you.”

  He left before I could protest further. The absence of vampire energy almost made me giggle in relief. Gods, how would I deal with the constant ache? I ordered a green tea and in record time, a steaming cup sat in front of me.

  I glanced up and was greeted with a friendly smile from the beautiful waiter. “Mr. Allcot wishes to extend his sin
cere gratitude.”

  “Um, thanks?” I scanned the room looking for the teenage lookalike but didn’t see him. Of course not, I’d feel him first.

  “In addition, he asked that I inform you that all items on the menu are complimentary for as long as you work for him.” The waiter bowed and left.

  Work for him? Is that what he thought? I hadn’t agreed to that. High-handed asshole.

  Vampire energy brushed my skin, familiar and repressive. I tensed, expecting Eadric. But it was his consort instead. She stopped at the edge of the table, her blue eyes big and round, blond hair flowing down her back in a thick sheet.

  “You’re his sister, right? The one they killed in the lavender fields?”

  My heart stopped beating. A few moments went by before the organ began to pump again. “You knew Beau?”

  She shook her head. “I only met him a few times. Someone told me he had a twin. It took me a while, but then it hit me where I knew you from. You share most of the same features. He was such a pretty man.”

  I nodded. “Everyone always said so.”

  Pandora transformed her glamorous face into a work of pure sympathy and said, “I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was to hear of his death. I liked him. Too bad the vampire wasn’t caught.”

  I stood up, nearly knocking the table over. “What did you just say?”

  Pandora took a startled step back. “Just that I liked him. He was a good guy.”

  “No, about the vampire not being caught? A vampire killed my brother?”

  “You didn’t know?”

  Chapter 7

  “What happened?” Phoebe asked from the porch of our house. Her hair was brown this time, styled in a short, asymmetrical bob. She wore a miniskirt and four-inch platform heels. The tourist barfly ensemble was a staple in her collection of disguises.

  I pushed past her through the front door.

  “Willow!” Phoebe yelled.

  “Give me a minute.” I ran up the stairs, leaving her to deal with David. Damn him, the double-crosser. Double agent, my ass.

  I stopped, scanning my room. Hadn’t Phoebe plugged my cell phone in somewhere? There. The white power cord snaked out from under the desk. With trembling wings, I powered it on and hit the speed dial.

  Pick up, pick up, pick up. Voice mail. Always the frickin’ voice mail. As if I had any room to talk. I hadn’t even thought of my phone since I’d landed the night before. Had I only been home twenty-four hours? Double damn.

  At the tone, my words rushed out. “Talisen, where are you? It’s about Beau. Information and a lead. Get your ass down here.”

  I ended the call and noticed a missed text message. It was from Talisen. Glad you made it safe. Call me soon so I can hear that beautiful voice of yours.

  He’d replied moments after my text the night before, just after the battery died.

  “Stupid phone.” I tossed it back on the desk and headed for the bathroom.

  When I reemerged, Phoebe was leaning against the doorframe. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “I just found—” My breath hitched and I forced a swallow. “—found out a vampire killed Beau.”

  Phoebe’s expression softened. “I know, I heard.” She pointed to the magically enhanced silver bug pinned to her formfitting button-down shirt.

  “Why Beau?” I choked out, unable to comprehend why a vampire would kill him. Back then, in California, I hadn’t even known we’d met any. They didn’t exactly frequent the coastal faery lands.

  Phoebe reached out and hugged me. “We’ll find out. I promise.”

  I pulled back and straightened. “Damn right we will.” This wasn’t the time to break down. I had a job to do.

  “I’m all in. You know that.” The tiny witch stood tall, her shoulders back and fire blazing in her black eyes. Fierce determination lined her face. Beau had always said the feistiest ones came in small packages.

  Our eyes met and an unspoken agreement passed between us. We’d find answers to the questions the Arcane hadn’t been willing to ask. Coincidence, that’s what the officials had said. But dying in the same field and at the same age as your father twenty-three years later wasn’t a coincidence; it was a fucking pattern.

  If they’d ruled both deaths a murder, maybe someone would have looked harder. Unfortunately, our dad’s death was listed as an accident. But after seeing both death reports, I wasn’t convinced. Not at all. And now I had a lead.

  I flexed my wings as I glided toward the stairs. “Let’s go. We have a vampire to interrogate.”

  ***

  Phoebe stood in the middle of the living room with her hand on her hip. She stared at David, who was sitting stiffly in a wingback chair. “Someone want to tell me what the hell happened back there?”

  “You know as much as I do.” I paced the living room, the sound of my clunky boots echoing off the high ceilings. “You heard what they said.”

  “No, actually, I didn’t.” She turned and pointed to the beetle still pinned to her chest. “The bug cut out for about an hour. I was ready to bust in, but then I heard you talking to David again right before the woman showed up to ask you about Beau.”

  I blinked. “Damn it. The concealment charm. Phoebs, they had the whole room cloaked. I couldn’t feel anyone except David until we joined them in Allcot’s private room upstairs.”

  Phoebe stiffened and then rounded on David. “How?”

  Confusion flickered over his handsome face. “I don’t know what the hell either of you are talking about.” His gaze landed on me. “What do you mean you couldn’t feel anyone but me? Is the Void tracking vampires now?”

  “No.” Not technically. Oops.

  My ability wasn’t exactly public knowledge. Just perfect. Maude was going to have a shit-fit when she learned I’d leaked the information. The thought suddenly filled me with a gleeful defiance. I tilted my head to one side. David was my partner now. He would’ve found out sooner or later. Shrugging, I uttered the words I’d been sworn to keep secret, “I have a vampire spidey sense.”

  “Excuse me?” David scooted to the edge of the chair. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know, spidey sense.” I tapped my temple. “I know when vampires are around. I should’ve felt Eadric and his groupies long before we entered his office. But I didn’t. Which only means one thing—a concealment charm.” I strode across the room, stopping right in front of him. “And you’re going to tell us where it came from and why they’re using it.”

  I glanced at Phoebe. She nodded once and cut her eyes back to the vampire.

  David leaned back and said nothing.

  What did it take to get a reaction out of the guy? I’d confessed a potentially dangerous talent, and he didn’t even dignify it with a response. Asshole. “I’ll assume that means you aren’t important enough to be in the know.”

  He glared, a muscle pulsing in his jaw as he clenched his teeth.

  “Looks like you hit a nerve, Wil.” Phoebe pulled out a cigarette, rolling it between two fingers the way she always did when working out a problem.

  “Guess so.” I took two steps and crouched, staring David in the eye. “But you can and will tell me how it is Allcot knows about the agreement you made with the Void to be a double agent.”

  “What?” Phoebe demanded, taking a place beside me. She straightened her spine, making her frame appear much taller than her five-foot-two inches. “Someone better fill me in before our guest finds himself with a nasty sunburn.”

  She held up her agate. I frowned. Right then I’d like nothing better than to fry David myself. Double-crossing, low-life coward who couldn’t even break up with me in person. I’d deserved an explanation, dammit. Not a hasty text. Coward.

  I filled Phoebe in on the night’s events and when I finished we both focused on David. Phoebe pointed to her agate. “You’ve got five seconds to start talking.”

  He held her gaze, then quirked an eyebrow, a tiny hint of a smile touching his lips. “Thi
s is between Willow and me.”

  Phoebe snorted out a laugh. “Arrogant bastard. Agent Rhoswen is my partner. Where she goes, I go and all that shit. Now start talking. I’d think you’d know by now I don’t issue idle threats.”

  David’s face turned stony. “Unfortunately for you, Agent Rhoswen is no longer your partner. She’s mine, as of sometime this morning. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for tonight’s events. However, I will speak to her about them in private.”

  Phoebe’s arm rose, her face flushed in anger, light pulsing faintly from the agate. All it would take is one word, and David would be out of commission for days, if not weeks. I clasped Phoebe’s wrist, deflecting the growing rays of artificial sun.

  “Phoebs,” I said, exhausted. “As much as I’d like to see him crispy fried, I do need some answers. Maybe it’s better if I fill you in later?” The beetle bug was still in my pocket. Whatever David told me, Phoebe would hear it.

  She took a deep breath, pointedly not looking at David. “Fine. I’ll be upstairs in the kitchen if you need me.”

  “Thanks.”

  David watched Phoebe round the corner to climb the stairs, a trace of smugness flashing on his pale face.

  “Knock it off.” I crossed the room to grab Link’s dog brush and cutting shears. The mats from his two-month-long grooming hiatus weren’t going to take care of themselves. I eased onto the couch, sitting cross-legged. Link jumped up and settled onto my lap, ready for his brushing.

  “I’m listening,” I said without looking up.

  Silence, except for the worry of bristles through Link’s fur, filled the room. Determined to wait him out, I concentrated on finding and trimming mats. If it hadn’t been for his vampireness pressing down on me, I could have almost put him out of my mind. Almost.

  The familiarity of the situation set my nerves on edge. How many times had we sat together, sharing a comfortable silence? I swallowed a hollow laugh. At that moment a bikini wax would have been more comfortable.

  “I owe you an apology,” David said so quietly I barely heard him.

  Damn right he did. “Way to state the obvious.”